FISHKILL – Route 9D in the vicinity of the I-84 junction in Fishkill was shut down Friday night when a bus carrying inmates caught fire.
The incident occurred around 7:45 p.m. on August 27.
Sources have told Mid-Hudson News that the State Department of Corrections bus carrying 27 inmates, traveling to Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, was disabled on Route 9D north due to the fire. The reported location was the intersection of 9D and Dogwood Lane, just north of I-84.
Reports indicate that a physical altercation erupted when the bus stopped for the fire. Several police agencies responded to secure the bus and the surrounding area.
According to Town of Fishkill Police Lieutenant Paul Schettino, there were also physical altercations between the inmates and state corrections officers.
“The public’s safety was maintained because of a quick response” by police, he said. They included police from the towns of Fishkill, East Fishkill, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh, City of Beacon, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, State Police from Troops K, F and T (Thruway), and MTA.
“Law enforcement throughout the region recognized the potential danger of the situation and responded immediately to protect the law-abiding citizens of our town,” Schettino said.
The superintendent from Downstate prison arrived at the incident along with corrections officers trained in defusing these types of situations, Schettino pointed out.
Ambulances from multiple Orange and Dutchess agencies were staged in the vicinity to treat possible victims. One ambulance treated and transported an inmate reported to have sustained major head trauma.
Radio traffic indicates that the Chelsea and Castle Point Fire Departments were able to extinguish the fire within minutes of arriving on the scene. When the fire was doused, the vehicle was towed to Downstate Correctional Facility at approximately 9:07 p.m. and the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division was being dispatched to the prison to inspect it.
