Kansas transfers inmates out of prison following disturbance

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has transferred 90 inmates out of a low-security prison in its rural northwest following a disturbance that started when one or more prisoners set a mattress on fire and as many as 250 inmates spilled into the yard, the state Department of Corrections said Wednesday.

Department spokesman Samir Arif said inmates smashed windows in multiple buildings at the Norton Correctional Facility, and inmates broke into a shed to steal tools. He said two staff members suffered minor injuries in Tuesday night's disturbance, but they didn't require treatment.

The Kansas Organization of State Employees, which represents corrections officers, called the disturbance a "major riot" in a tweet Tuesday night.