Inmates accused of setting fire at Arkansas jail

FORREST CITY — Authorities say four inmates face additional charges after a fire was intentionally set in the St. Francis County jail in Forrest City.

The Times-Herald reported that it took two hours to fully extinguish a fire that was set Monday night in a jail cell. Authorities say the fire apparently started when inmates stuck pieces of paper into an electrical outlet, then threw the burning papers onto bed mats inside a cell.

One inmate told investigators that they'd set the fire in an attempt to escape.

No one was hurt in the blaze.

Authorities said three inmates face charges of arson and reckless burning while a fourth inmate faces charges of impairing the operation of a vital public facility.

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