Prison officials evacuated the lower levels of the Intake Center at the Adult Correctional Institutions yesterday after a chemical reaction in a laundry room produced thick smoke.

Prison guards evacuated 25 inmates, as well as staff and visitors, around 3 p.m., corrections spokeswoman Tracey Z. Poole said. The chemical reaction involved chlorine bleach.

Poole said Cranston firefighters encountered thick smoke and the Fire Department dispatched its hazardous materials team.

About 60 inmates were temporarily moved out of cells above the laundry room, Poole said.

Prison officials do not know the cause of the incident, but they do not suspect sabotage, Poole said. “We have no reason to believe it was caused deliberately,” she said.

The Intake Center houses male inmates awaiting trial and sentencing or who have not yet been assigned to another building.