Firefighters responded to a small blaze at the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department last night.

Officers detected smoke in an upstairs office and called for assistance.

Sheriff Wayne Potter requested the TBI’s Bomb and Arson Unit to respond and determine the cause. Their preliminary findings was discarded batteries that sparked in a metal trash can and ignited paper. The damage was contained in one office. No injuries were reported.

As a precautionary measure Sheriff Potter requested inmate transport buses from the Morgan County Correctional Complex in case an evacuation of the jail became necessary. The sheriff’s office wishes to thank the Wartburg and Joyner Fire Departments as well as the Wartburg Police Department for their rapid response .