Blaze Destroys Century-Old Pennsylvania Jail

A large fire tore through a nearly 140-year-old jail Wednesday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of more than 200 inmates. There were no reported inmate or staff injuries, but the Northumberland County Prison appeared to have been destroyed, county officials said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. The blaze was reported just after 2 p.m. at the jail in Sunbury, a city of 10,000 about 40 miles north of Harrisburg, according to county dispatchers. Flames and thick smoke shot through the roof. All 208 inmates were initially taken under heavy guard to a nearby church.