Lawmen say it was a dryer fire that caused problems at the Lenoir County jail this weekend.

Officers say clothing caught on fire in a commercial dryer.

Detention officers used a fire extinquisher to put out the flames.

The smoke got into the main hallway of the jail, so detention officers began moving inmates in that area to an alternate location within the courthouse.

Sheriff’s deputies, Kinston Police and the Highway Patrol helped do that, while the Kinston Fire Department worked to remove the smoke.

One detention officer and one inmate were transported to Lenoir Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation but were treated and released that evening.

Officials say It is believed that the dryer malfunctioned, heating the clothing to the point of ignition. Damage was confined to the dryer itself.

"Had it not been for the fast actions of the detention staff, the incident could have been much worse,” Major Christopher Hill.