Camp Hill, the day that lasted 72 hours On October 25, 1989, more than 1,300 inmates at the Camp Hill State Correctional Institution rioted. The rioters took at least 8 hostages, lit 4 fires and caused millions of dollars in damage. More than 35 staff members, 5 inmates, 1 firefighter, and 1 state trooper were injured in the worst riot in Pennsylvania history. Inmates returning from a courtyard in the late afternoon overwhelmed prison staff and seized hostages. Inmates were reportedly upset with overcrowding and suspended privileges. They set fires, which destroyed more than half of the 31 buildings and took hostage not only the guards but also other inmates who were unwilling to join the riot. The riot was ended through negotiations and the inmates were confined to their cells. The superintendent informed news outlets and officials that the riot was over. The next day the superintendent met with the inmates to discuss their grievances. Unknown to the superintendent or staff, many of the cells in which the inmates were confined were unsafe, allowing a second riot to begin later that day, allowing the prisoners to escape and take more than 17 hostages and injuring 138 officers . Approximately 800 officers were on scene during the height of the clashes with hundreds more en route to begin shift changes as the clashes continued over a 3-day period. Negotiations were attempted again, but the riot eventually ended when state police forcibly entered the compound. necessary training. At the time the riots began, Camp Hill's capacity was 1,826 people, but it housed more than 2,600 inmates with a capacity of 142%.