JACKSON TWP. -- A state prisons sewage treatment plant erupted into flames Wednesday.

The sewage plant at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas caught fire at about 10:25 a.m. Thick, white smoke spewed from the plant as the fire spread to electrical poles and wires surrounding it.

Workers from UGI Utilities shut off power near the plant as firefighters battled the flames. They controlled the fire within an hour.

Plastic parts inside the sewage treatment plant caught on fire, according to Kenneth Burnett, the prison spokesman.

We dont know the particulars of what started it, he said. All we know is the plastic parts caught fire.

Burnett said no one was injured and the inmates were not affected. He said the electricity inside the prison, which is several hundred yards away from the plant, remained on. He also said the prisons toilets could still be used. The amount of damage done to the treatment plant was not available Wednesday.

The prisons emergency response team began fighting the fire, but called for backup when it couldnt control it, Burnett said.

Fire companies from Dallas and Lehman Township responded most expeditiously, Burnett said.

Distributed by the Associated Press