"Self-combusting" tea towel fire at prison caused £1.1m of damage

Wednesday 15 March 2023

Work to fully repair damage to the kitchen at HM Prison La Moye after a major blaze caused by a "self-combusting" tea towel will be starting later this month.

The blaze on 21 January 2022, which temporarily left inmates forced to eat instant noodles and sandwiches for their main meals, caused £1.1m of damage.

The alarm was raised just after 20:00 when thick black smoke was spotted coming from the area. 

Following investigations, it later emerged that the fire was caused by tea towels which had come out of a tumble dryer.

Home Affairs Minister Helen Miles told a scrutiny panel that the towels were folded and put in a plastic bag, with the heat in the centre of the pile so great that the tea towels caught alight, causing significant damage. 

The prison had to use outside caterers for a 12-day period following the fire, after which it used the hospital catering services for support until October last year.  

Since then, all meals have been produced in the prison’s temporary kitchen, with Deputy Miles noting in November: "They are back up and running and preparing and cooking their own meals. We are just waiting for the insurance claim to come through in order to purchase new equipment and complete the renovation there."

It's now been confirmed that full refurbishment works are due to start on 20 March and will last around 26 weeks.

Express has asked how much of this sum relates to consultancy fees and has not yet received a response.