A fire in a clothes dryer Wednesday morning at the LincolnCounty Jail brought fire engines and emergency personnel. Countyofficials say they felt lucky the situation was contained asquickly as it was.

A temperature-controlled sprinkler system was deployed in thelaundry room from the heat of the fire and water covered hallwayfloors. After employees in the dispatcher’s office smelled the fireand called the fire department, one official was able to containthe fire to the laundry room by shutting the door.

The smoke and water from the sprinkler system really onlyaffected the first floor, officials said.

While the situation brought Civil Defense Director CliffordGaley, Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop, Police Chief Pap Hendersonand other concerned officials to the scene, there was notsufficient damage to cause them to have to clear any of the jailcells.

“There was no evacuation,” said Lincoln County Sheriff SteveRushing. “No smoke made it upstairs. It was pretty much containedto the laundry room and the hallway.”

He said part of what helped keep the fire from spreading is theconstruction of the building.

“The design on the building really helped contain the smoke,” hesaid, pointing out that there is not a lot of flammable fuel on thefirst floor and that the concrete blocks that make up the buildingwould hamper a fire.

County officials credited the quick response from the BrookhavenFire Department for also reducing damage caused by the smoke.

“The fire department did an excellent job and they deservecommendation on their work,” Rushing said. “And the jail employeesdid a great job in their response as well.”

County Attorney Bob Allen said the fact that the agenciesinvolved had worked in tandem before on many occasions also helpedthings flow smoothly.

“The sheriff’s employees, civil defense, and the Brookhaven FireDepartment were working hand in hand and everyone doing their jobmade sure the situation was contained,” he said. “That’s one of theadvantages of a closely-knit community like ours. Everyone workstogether to get the job done.”

The state fire marshal conducted a routine investigationWednesday afternoon to attempt to determine the cause of the fire.The cause is still under review, though Rushing said the dryer wasin use when the fire occurred and that the only damage appeared tobe to the dryer itself.

An ambulance was dispatched to the scene, although there was noimmediate danger to anyone in the facility from fire.

“We wanted to make sure everyone that needs to be looked at getslooked at,” said Allen. “There was enough smoke that we need tooffer medical assistance in case it’s needed.”

Rushing said that if there had been a larger fire, there is aplan of action which insures the safety of all jail inmates andemployees.

“We have security measures in place to remove the inmates asrequired by the state fire marshal,” he said. “We would transportthem to other secure locations if necessary.”