A fire intentionally set Monday by inmates at a prison in the Dominican Republic claimed 133 lives, with a survivor saying guards kept prisoners locked in their burning cells. Another inmate was killed by gunfire, and 25 were injured, three by gunfire, officials said. Police said the blaze in the town of Higuey on the east side of the Caribbean country was caused by inmates angry at the transfer of two prisoners to another detention centre. The head of the Office of Prisons, Juan Ramon de la Cruz, said the fire was set after a fight broke out between two inmates seeking control of the prison. Inmates used insecticide and paint thinner to spark the blaze, then set pillows and mattresses on fire and blocked entrances so guards could not enter, Police Chief Manuel de Jesus Perez Sanchez said. Survivor Jose Maria Martinez said police kept prisoners locked inside their burning cells, leaving them to die. --MORE 2323 Local Time 2023 GMT
