Maury County Jail Fire of 1977
The Maury County Jail Fire of 1977 was a fire that broke out at the (now former) Maury County Jail on June 26, 1977. Forty-two people -- 33 prisoners and 9 visitors -- died as the result of this fire. The fire has been included among the worst tragedies in Tennessee history.[1]
Background
The building then used as the Maury County Jail was constructed in 1963 and opened in 1964.[2][3] It replaced the previous jail that was constructed in 1884 that stood on the same site.[4] The building was constructed (more or less) in the shape of a cross, with four wings. The north wing (furthest from East 6th Street) was called the workhouse, and had ten cells (five on either side) that housed four prisoners each. The west wing contained storage areas, the kitchen, laundry, and two maximum-security, two-person cells. The east wing contained two "drunk tanks", a padded cell for disruptive prisoners, and two eight-person cells (one of which was used for female prisoners). The south wing (nearest East 6th Street) contained the sheriff's office and other administrative and operational rooms. At the center of the jail was the dispatch room.[5][6]
The cell doors of the jail could be operated manually or remotely, but each door required a separate key, and there were only two sets of keys (one of these sets was in the possession of Sheriff Bill Voss, who was not present at the jail that day).[7] The jail had portable dry-chemical fire extinguishers, but it had no manual fire alarm or smoke detectors, nor did it have a fire-suppression system (e.g. sprinklers). With the exception of the padded room, the jail was built from fire-resistant materials. Due to a lack of a secure refuge area, the only practical response to a fire would be for all of the building's occupants to exit the building.[8][9]
June 26, 1977 was a Sunday, which was a visitation day at the county jail. At the time of the fire, dozens of visitors were present.[10]
Fire and Rescue Efforts
Aftermath
Legacy
References
- ↑ Coggins, Allen. Tennesseee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Social Disasters in the Volunteer State. Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 2012, pp. 113-114. Web (proquest.com). 10 Feb. 2021.
- ↑ "42 Die in Maury County, Tennessee, Jail Fire." NFPA Fire Journal. March 1978. pp. 30-31, 37. Web (nfpa.org). 10 Feb. 2021.
- ↑ Schwartz, Jeffrey A. and Barry, Cynthia. A Guide to Preparing for and Responding to Jail Emergencies. Washington, United States Department of Justice-National Institute of Corrections, 2009, p. 155. Web (nicic.gov). 10 Feb. 2021.
- ↑ McClure, Sue. "Cell doors sprung for new duty." The Tennessean. 8 April 1999. p. 1B. Web (newspapers.com). 10 Feb. 2021.
- ↑ NFPA Fire Journal at 30-31.
- ↑ Schwartz and Barry at pp. 155-156.
- ↑ Schwartz and Barry at 156.
- ↑ NFPA Fire Journal at 30-31, 37.
- ↑ Schwartz and Barry at pp. 155-156.
- ↑ NFPA Fire Journal at 31. The exact number of prisoners and visitors present is unclear; the NFPA Fire Journal report, which is a summary of the Tennessee State Fire Marshall's investigation, states that there were 63 prisoners in the jail at the time and 20 visitors present. Schwartz and Barry at p. 156 state that the jail population was 40 and do not state a number of visitors; this figure seems suspiciously low given 42 deaths and and approximately 30 injuries (meaning that there had to have been at least 72 people present). Coggins states 56 prisoners and 40 visitors.
