Three minor fires at DJJ on Saturday

Three minor fires were set on Saturday at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

No juveniles were injured and the situation was brought under control quickly, DJJ Communications Coordinator Eric Rousey said of the incident which took place on the Birchwood campus of the Broad River Road Complex – near the intersection with Piney Grove Road.

The fires affected two dorms and the Crisis Management Unit, according to Rousey, who added that juveniles in two of the facilities were temporarily relocated to the Juvenile Detention Center and Midlands Evaluation Center.

One of the fires was described as a “rubbish fire,” inside of a trash can by Columbia Fire Department Public Information Officer Brick Lewis, who said the fire department responded to a call from DJJ around 9:30 p.m.

That fire was put out quickly, as was a second in another building where smoke was evacuated by the fire department, according to Lewis, who called the incidents minor.

In addition to calling the fire department, SLED was also notified and the incident is under investigation, said Rousey, who declined to provide any more details.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 6:02 PM.