Windows smashed, fires set at St. Louis jail

 ST. LOUIS -- Fire crews have been called to a St. Louis jail where inmates appear to have knocked out windows and set some small fires.

A spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson, Jacob Long, told KMOV-TV that there was “an ongoing and very dangerous disturbance” going on at the St. Louis City Justice Center on Saturday morning.

Some people had gathered outside the jail. Video posted on social media showed inmates holding signs on an upper floor while gathered at three windows that had been smashed out. Some threw items that had been set on fire to the sidewalk below. Firefighters were using a hose to put out the blazes.

It's unclear what led to the disturbance at the jail.

In late December and early January, dozens of inmates were transferred out of the St. Louis City Justice Center after two disturbances stemming from concerns about unsafe conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.