6 Inmates in Transit Die Shackled in Burning Van

A van carrying prisoners burst into flames along a highway Thursday, burning to death six handcuffed, shackled inmates locked in a wire cage.

The fire was apparently started by a broken drive shaft that pierced the fuel tank, investigators said.

The driver burned his arms trying to save the prisoners, all of whom were in handcuffs and individual shackles.

“The driver could not get close to the back of the vehicle to even open the door,” Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Dover said. “The prisoners were consumed in the fire.”

Dover said heat from the blaze burned so hot that it welded the back door shut.

Another guard riding in the van, which was operated by Federal Extradition Agency, a Memphis company that transports inmates, was not hurt.

The prisoners had spent Wednesday night in Memphis and were scheduled to spend Thursday night in Chattanooga on their way to a Florida prison, Dover said. The identities of the state prisoners were not immediately available.

The van had pulled over because of mechanical problems on Interstate 40, about 45 miles west of Nashville, before catching fire.

There was a fire extinguisher on board, but the guards could not reach of it because of the heat and fire, authorities said.

The van lay charred along the median after the blaze. Glass blown out by the heat littered the highway.