Authorities: Bayfield County inmate set off fire alarm in cellblock, caused flooding

An inmate at Bayfield County jail is accused by authorities of intentionally setting off the fire alarm and flooding his cellblock.

Jonathan Olsen, 35, of Iron River, faces charges of interfering with firefighting alarm, intentionally giving false alarm, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces more than four and-a-half years of imprisonment.

According to the criminal complaint, Olsen is observed on camera in the shower area going behind the curtain area of the sprinkler for fire suppression. He then removed the pin to set off the suppression system and the alarm. An inmate can be heard saying, “He’s popping it.”

The fire suppression system can be heard releasing as Olsen walked out of the shower area and returned to his bunk.

Crew members of the Washburn Fire Department responded to the scene and Bayfield County maintenance then arrived to clean up the water after it was determined there was no fire and the alarm was falsely triggered.

The sprinkler system flooded the cellblock where he was housed because a sprinkler head was damaged. Several inmates were relocated while crews dealt with the flooding.

The county hired a contracting service to replace the broken pin for $1,450 and paid $450 to replace the broken sprinkler head.

According to CCAP, Olsen was convicted of interfering with firefighting-alarm in Racine County in May 2021.

He is set for arraignment on Oct. 1.