Fire damages laundry room in facility near Newton prison

NEWTON — Fire damaged part of a facility located next to the Newton prison.

The Iowa Department of Corrections says the fire started Tuesday evening and burned into Wednesday morning at the minimum security Correctional Release Center adjacent to the Newton prison. Staff first discovered smoke in the laundry room of the facility around 10:30 and the Newton Fire Department was called.

The inmates were evacuated and no one was injured. The severity of the damage to the laundry room and the cause of the fire is still being reviewed.