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Public Safety Secretary: Inmates In Shirley Prison Riot Were 'Getting Ready For War'

SHIRLEY (CBS/AP) – Secretary of Public Safety Daniel Bennett said the inmates in the Shirley prison riot Monday were "getting ready for war" before it was stopped.

Video and images of the destruction from the riot at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility were made public Tuesday.

prison riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley in January 2017. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

The Department of Corrections said 46 inmates in the P-1 Housing Unit at the maximum security prison refused to be locked in their cells Monday afternoon after two fights broke out.

Corrections officers were pulled from the unit and the inmates began destroying it for three hours using makeshift weapons and fire extinguishers.

prison riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

The photos show extensive damage – sections of the ceiling destroyed, sprinkler systems ruined, computers and cameras smashed apart, trash scattered, glass shattered, empty cells, burn marks on the floors, chairs overturned and the weapons recovered.

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Surveillance video shows officers attempting to get the inmates in their cells and then the inmates destroying the unit when the officers evacuated. The video also shows an inmate attempting to gain access to a cell that housed an inmate who had been locked in before the riot.

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The unit is a total loss, according to authorities.

prison riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

The inmates gave up after police flooded the unit with pepper spray.

prison riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

No serious injuries were reported.

prion riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

Some of the inmates involved are first and second degree murderers, authorities said.

prison riot
Weapons from the prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

Inmates who live in the unit were moved to other wings and those who were actively involved in the altercation were sent to other facilities that have segregation space.

prison riot
The aftermath of a prison riot at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley. (Photo credit: Mass. Department of Corrections)

The inmates involved will face disciplinary sanctions and criminal charges could be filed.

Convicted killer Aaron Hernandez is an inmate at the prison, but a source told WBZ-TV he was not in the unit where the incident occurred.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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