Hotwork Accidents #4
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
Blowtorch causes garage fire in Grand Island
Police arrest man after torch is used on stolen newspaper racks
By Sarah Schulz, [email protected]
A man was arrested on Thursday after a garage caught fire as a blowtorch was being used to open stolen newspaper racks. Grand Island fire Capt. Bryan Stutzman said firefighters and Grand Island police officers responded to the blaze at 308 E. 11th around 10:12 a.m. Thursday. He said the fire started when cardboard and clothing stored in the garage caught fire as a torch was being used to open newspaper racks belonging to The Independent. The fire spread to the roof of the garage but did not damage the attached residence, Stutzman said. An estimated $5,000 in damage was done to the garage, he said. Amy Divine, 29, who rents the house, was at home when the fire broke out. Stutzman said her face was singed when she opened the door from the house to the garage. She was transported to St. Francis Medical Center and she was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Omaha about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. She was admitted to the burn unit, but a nursing supervisor there would not release her condition. Stutzman said Divine was the only person at the residence when they arrived. Police Capt. Pete Kortum said James Divine, 36, Amy’s husband, also lives at the residence but left before authorities arrived. Officers recovered four newspaper racks and the money box from a fifth rack, he said. No money was found in the racks or the garage. One of the racks had been heavily damaged with a blowtorch, and the other three had been cut open with an angle grinder, he said. The racks are valued at $500 each, Kortum said. Fred Furley, Independent district circulation manager, said three of the racks were stolen in January, and the fourth had Thursday’s paper in it. He said theft of the racks is sporadic and that the racks are heavy and difficult to open without a key. “It’s a lot of work for a few dollars,” he said. Money from the racks is collected on a regular basis, usually once a week, he said. The amount of money in a rack depends on its location. Some of the racks may only have three or four papers inside, while racks in more popular areas may contain around 25 papers. James Divine was arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property just before 1 p.m. Thursday when he returned to the home, Kortum said. Officers believe he was using the torch to open the newspaper racks and started the fire in the process, Kortum said. Divine is being held in the Hall County Jail and may go to court at 11 a.m. today. He had not been charged on Thursday. “We don’t have reason to believe that anyone else operated the torch,” Kortum said, “and as near as we can determine, he was the only one in the garage.”
Fire damages Waco’s federal courthouse for second time since October
By MIKE ANDERSON Tribune-Herald staff writer
Fire damaged Waco’s federal courthouse for the second time in four months Saturday morning, and fire officials said workers in the building’s renovation could be to blame. Waco firefighters responding to a 4:30 a.m. fire call at the building at 800 Franklin Ave. arrived to find part of the third floor in flames, said Assistant Fire Chief David Walsleben. Firefighters were able to douse the flames by about 6 p.m., he said. Damage was limited to a 20-foot by 20-foot section of the third floor ceiling on the building’s south side, he said. Walsleben said a construction cutting torch was found beneath the burned area. “It looked like they had been using it that night and it might have caused something to smolder for a while,” he said. “Then (the ceiling) caught fire later in the night when the wind picked up.” The 65-year-old building is undergoing a renovation that began in August 2001. The courthouse’s occupants relocated to a building at the corner of North Ninth Street and Washington Avenue to allow for the construction, which will include a 3,000 foot addition. Federal officials have estimated the entire project, including the temporary move, will cost $23 million. The courthouse suffered more extensive damage in a fire on Oct. 25, 2001. Several ladder trucks were used through the night to fight that blaze, which started in the southeast corner of the attic. The fire spread the length of the attic, causing extensive fire damage to the roof and water and smoke damage to the floors below. nvestigators with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ruled the fire accidental. The ATF recently denied a request by the Tribune-Herald for information on the October fire’s cause, saying the investigation is ongoing. The project was initially expected to take 15 to 18 months, but that was extended by six months after the first fire. It is unclear if this latest fire will delay the project. Officials with MW Builders, Inc., the subcontractor overseeing the renovation project, referred all questions to the project’s contractor, Keating Building Corp. Calls to that company’s office in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. went unanswered Saturday. Mike Anderson can be reached at [email protected] or at 757-5755.
UPDATE, Chemical Flash Fire Injures Three At Office Supply Factory
Doylestown Township, PA, United States
Authorities said the blast at J. Penner Corp. on Weldon Drive in Doylestown Township occurred when a chemical was exposed to an open flame. John Friel, assistant fire marshal for Doylestown Township, said the explosion happened on an assembly line in the Penner plant when an adhesive primer known as Sika Aktivator was exposed to flame. The substance is used in the installation of automotive windshields and is packaged in glass vials at Penner, Friel said. The liquid is removed from 55-gallon drums by pumping nitrogen into the drums. It is then sealed in the glass vials with an open flame, which molds and fuses the glass. Friel said too much nitrogen was pumped into the drum, which forced too much of the substance into a glass vial. The excess activator was then ignited when it came into contact with the flame.”We think there was an excess of nitrogen that contaminated the process,” said Friel. ”It’s just an unfortunate accident.” Friel said there was no estimate on the damage to the plant, but it was confined to the area of the explosion.
Second fire at federal courthouse ruled accident
By RICHARD L. SMITH Tribune-Herald staff writer
The second fire to damage Waco’s federal courthouse in four months was ruled an accident, said Waco Fire Marshal Jerry Hawk. A portion of the third floor of the building at 800 Franklin Ave. was found in flames by Waco firefighters who responded to the call at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters put out the blaze in the structure, which is undergoing renovation, by about 6 a.m., fire officials said. The portion of the third-floor ceiling that was burned had been previously damaged by a major fire there on Oct. 25. Hawk said Monday that both this latest fire and the one in October were caused by cutting torches that were used by workers. “It was a cutting torch operation just like last time,” said Hawk. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ruled the October fire of the federal building an accident. However, the ATF recently denied a request by the Tribune-Herald for information on the fire’s cause, saying the investigation was ongoing. Hawk said the report on his department’s investigation of the fire will be sent to the ATF. He said it will be up to the bureau to decide if it wants to investigate this blaze also. The fire marshal estimated the damage from the Saturday blaze at about $200. “The area was already fire-damaged so it didn’t do much more damage,” Hawk said. Renovation of the building, built in the mid-1930s, began in August 2001. Keating Building Corp. of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., is the contractor for the $20 million-plus project. Dennis Martin, president of the corporation, did not return telephone calls for this story. The courthouse’s occupants relocated to the corner of North Ninth Street and Washington Avenue for the renovation. The project was initially expected to take between 15 and 18 months. Officials of the U.S. General Services Administration, which oversees federal construction projects, said after the October fire that they expected the renovation’s completion to be pushed back six months. GSA spokeswoman Lisa Wideman said Monday that she is unsure of the exact completion schedule. However, she said that the delay probably would not be as lengthy as first thought. Wideman also said a fire watch will be put on the renovation project to help prevent future blazes from sources of ignition such as cutting torches. The October fire started in the southeast corner of the building’s attic. The blaze spread the length of the attic. It caused extensive fire damage to the roof. There also was water and smoke damage to the floors below. Richard L. Smith can be reached at [email protected] or at 757-5745.
Fire engulfs semi-tractor
HOT WHEELS: Holland firefighter Brendt Sheridan and an employee of K & R Truck Sales, 4392 M-40, work to extinguish flames ignited Tuesday afternoon while employees were repairing the semi-tractor. Firefighters say a welding project started the flames. Damage to the truck is estimated at $28,000.
Welder killed in accident at Mississippi shipyard
GULFPORT (AP) – A welder at a Gulf Coast shipyard has died after being pinned between two heavy sections of a steel ship. Jeffery Byrd, 36, of Gautier, who was working Tuesday at Northrop Grumman Avondale Industries in Gulfport when the accident occurred, died of cardiac arrest, said Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems is the parent company of both the New Orleans-based Avondale shipyard and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The Gulfport shipyard makes steel ship sections that are put together in the company’s New Orleans yard, a spokesman said. Byrd was working between a section that weighs 175 tons and a piece that weighs 60 tons when the accident occurred at 9:35 a.m. The larger section shifted and pinned him against the smaller one, Hargrove said. Co-workers used hydraulic jacks and wooden blocks to push the sections apart, said Hargrove. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident. Byrd had been working at the Gulfport shipyard since March. He worked at Ingalls from 1989 to 1996, a spokesman said. Byrd is believed to be the first person to die at Avondale in Gulfport since 1996, when a Bay St. Louis man was electrocuted. OSHA fined the Gulfport shipyard for two safety violations that year.
6 lose home after roof catches fire
Roofer’s propane torch causes accidental fire; lack of phone delays call for help.
By Eric Eckert, News-Leader
A Springfield couple and their three children and a friend are looking for a new place to live after fire ravaged the home they had lived in for only two weeks. “We just moved in here and this happens,” said Melissa Peterson, who lived in the north Springfield home with her friends, Donovan and Shelly Stallings and the Stallings’ three children. Peterson was the only person in the house in the 2100 block of Kellett Avenue when the fire broke out about 10 a.m. The fire started while a contractor was using a propane torch to heat up material used to patch holes in the roof, said state fire marshal Dan Dougherty, who ruled the fire an accident. “He was using proper procedure to apply the material,” Dougherty said. “Right alongside where he was working, there was some old wood on the roof. His torch accidentally caught that on fire.” Peterson was watching television when she smelled smoke. “I thought it was the heater, then (the contractor) came in and said the roof was on fire,” she said. Contractor James Blevins said he tried to extinguish the flames while he was on the roof. “I was heating the material on that old roof, and it started flaming,” Blevins said. “I tried to dig up the roof and I put snow on it, but it wouldn’t go out.” Blevins said he told Peterson to call 911, but there was no phone in the home. After knocking on a few doors, he finally located a neighbor who made the call. Peterson said she had time to grab the family’s pet cats before evacuating the home. As smoke billowed from the house and flames peeked out of the roof, firefighters rushed in to battle the flames. Dougherty said the fire spread quickly through several hidden spaces in the roof and ceiling. “That’s why it took a little longer to get it under control,” the fire marshal said, adding that firefighters extinguished the blaze about an hour after they arrived. Peterson said the family had lived in the house for only two weeks. Landlord Jamie Scritchfield, who has owned the home for 2Ï years, said he has another house the family can live in until they find another place. “He’s really helped us out a lot,” Peterson said. “He’s been a blessing.” Dougherty said the roof was badly damaged and there was extensive water damage throughout the house. The fire marshal said the home did have working smoke detectors. No one was injured.
O.C. Man Killed in Explosion at Home
Accident: Welding torch may have sparked the 3:30 a.m. blast, which damaged 12 neighboring Costa Mesa townhouses.
By MAI TRAN and TINA BORGATTA, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
A 65-year-old man who may have been working with a welding torch was killed Thursday in an early-morning explosion that damaged homes, melted car tires and rained debris throughout a Costa Mesa neighborhood. Residents in the Monticello Townhomes complex said the 3:30 a.m. blast rocked the neighborhood–blowing out windows, ripping doors from hinges and crumpling metal garage doors. “It blew up like a bomb went off,” said Mark Galoustian, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years. “Our bedroom shook. We looked out the window, and the whole place was a fireball.” Fire officials said the explosion, which was followed by a series of smaller blasts, was heard by firefighters at a station four miles away. The man killed in the explosion has not been identified but was described as a quiet retiree who kept to himself. Neighbors said he had lived in the complex for several years. Neighbor John Leighton said the man rushed from his garage after the blast, his clothing on fire. Leighton said he sprayed him with a fire extinguisher, but the man then turned and ran back inside his burning garage. “I don’t know why he did that,” said Leighton, a 15-year resident of the tract. “He didn’t say anything.” The man’s body was later found just inside his garage, fire officials said. Twenty residents were evacuated to a Red Cross shelter set up at nearby Vanguard University of Southern California. Gas service was interrupted for several hours in the morning while crews searched for leaks, and some residents were without water for much of the day, said Barbara Marcosa, a spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Fire Department. In all, a dozen other townhomes–each worth about $250,000–were damaged. Fire officials have not determined a cause for the explosion but said it came from the man’s home. His garage, they said, was stocked with welding materials, tanks and chemicals. A bomb squad was brought in later in the day to inspect to canisters and tanks in the burned-out garage. The intensity of the fire forced firefighters to battle it from the street. It took 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. By then, little more than a skeleton of the townhouse remained. Fire crews later brought in wooden beams to prop up the walls. The blast set off a frantic effort in the neighborhood to alert residents to the fire ignited by the explosion. Residents ran from house to house in the darkness, banging on doors and yelling for their neighbors to evacuate. “When the first blast occurred, we thought it was an earthquake,” said Nancy Fay, who lives down the street and ran outside with a phone, dialing 911 as she screamed for neighbors to get out of their homes. “Then the second popping noise hit, and we thought it was a bomb. And when the third one struck, we thought we were going to war,” she said. Chris Minear said he and his wife, Carol, grabbed garden hoses, hoping to keep the fire from spreading. But they were pushed back as the man’s house was swallowed by flames. “There wasn’t too much you could do,” he said. Larry Dawson said that the blast woke him and that when he looked out his broken bedroom window, he saw a man in flames stumbling from a garage. Dawson said he grabbed a blanket to help smother the flames and ran outside. But when he got there, the man was gone. Dawson said that he ran toward the burning house but that the heat drove him back. Neighbors said the man killed in the blast was quiet and reserved yet friendly. One neighbor, who knew him only as “Sonny,” said he helped her with a plumbing problem. Others said he would offer wood and other supplies to kids building skateboard ramps. Mostly, though, he woke early and worked on bicycles in his garage, often using welding equipment, neighbors said. “He was real quiet, and he didn’t get into a lot of conversations,” said Julia Cross, who serves on the homeowners association board. “He just kind of stayed to himself and liked to putter around in his garage.” Sam Manfrey, who has lived in the complex about four years, said he’d wave to the man or say hello, but he never learned his name. A spokeswoman for the complex’s property management company, Chrissy Gruninger, said the man rented the townhouse from a Newport Beach couple. The management company said there are no rules barring the use or storage of welding torches in the complex.
UPDATE, Jersey City Truck Depot Fire Ignited By Welders Torch
Jersey City , NJ , United States , 2/25/2002- 8:00 PM
A fire that destroyed 26 tractor-trailers and a trucking company terminal began accidentally when welders’ torches ignited flammable material, fire officials said Tuesday. The Monday ( 2/25/2002 ) afternoon blaze at the Jaydee Trucking terminal burned for as long as 15 minutes while employees tried to put it out themselves before finally calling the fire department, Deputy Fire Director Jose Cruz said. Welders were doing work on a lift in one of the cargo bays when a small fire broke out. They tried to put it out using several hand-held fire extinguishers, which were found empty near where the fire started, Cruz said. By the time the blaze was brought under control at about 8 p.m. , 26 trucks and the entire 200-by-50-foot building were destroyed, Cruz said. No one was injured. Flames shooting through the roof formed smoke clouds that witnesses reported seeing 20 miles away. The smoke forced the closing of part of the Pulaski Skyway after a three-car collision. Route 440 was temporarily shut down and Routes 1&9 were closed for several blocks.
Soldering iron sparks fire; 24 homeless
By Mark Abramson, STAFF WRITER
SAN LORENZO — He may have fixed the pipes, but a plumber’s soldering handiwork sparked a two-alarm fire in an apartment complex Tuesday morning that displaced two dozen tenants. The plumber didn’t notice that the sparks flying from the pipe he was soldering ignited a wall, said Jim Purchio, an Alameda County Fire Department assistant chief. No one was injured in the fire, which erupted in the Washington Apartments, on the 15700 block of Washington Avenue , at 10:30 a.m. , Purchio said. Four apartments were destroyed. Grant Elementary School , next to the apartments, was unaffected. The fire department responded with six fire engines, two ladder trucks and 30 to 35 firefighters. “This was a pretty good fire, so they needed everybody,” Purchio said. “They got a good knockdown,” he added about the firefighters quenching the flames. The fire was confined to the upstairs of the four apartments. Part of the roof burned off and other sections were riddled with holes that were punched by firefighters for ventilation and to keep the inferno from spreading to other apartments. The attics for all four apartments were charred. The second floors of the units were a sticky mess of wrecked walls and water. Tenant Dan Bobis said he saw flames billowing out of the roof. He lives adjacent to the burned apartments. “I was in my bedroom, and I saw the smoke,” he said. “The whole roof was on fire.” Bobis said he saw his neighbors fleeing from those apartments as he grabbed some belongings and evacuated to the other side of the complex, near Grant Avenue . The American Red Cross will take care of the displaced tenants if they are unable to find temporary housing on their own, said Monte Churchill, a family service supervisor for that organization. Churchill added that the Red Cross will provide them with any needed food and clothing. Mark Abramson covers police and public safety. To reach him, call (510) 293-2469, or send e-mail to [email protected].
Fire at auto body shop shuts down part of Route 6
Traffic is routed away from the stretch of highway near the intersection of Route 136 to allow firefighters to battle to intense blaze.
BY C. EUGENE EMERY JR., Journal Staff Writer
SWANSEA — A fire that started with a spark in an auto body shop closed a portion of Route 6 for five hours during rush hour yesterday morning, but firefighters were able to save most of the building. There were no injuries from the fire at Complete Collision Center Inc. at 2153 GAR Highway, just east of Route 136, which began just before 5:30 a.m. Fire Chief Peter Burke said the blaze has been ruled an accident. He said the owner, John DeSilveira, was working on a truck body with a cutting torch when a spark jumped to some flammable material and began to smolder. The owner was called away from that job, and the blaze, unnoticed, took hold. The fire went up the wall and got above the ceiling in an area where there are two roofs, “so the sprinkler system never got to it,” Burke said. “It was a very labor intensive fire, because you had to get those ceilings down and the roof off,” the chief said. “Every firefighter God put on earth was here,” said one neighbor. Burke said Swansea had four engine trucks, one ladder truck and a special hazard unit at the scene. In addition, firefighters from Seekonk, Warren and Somerset assisted in fighting the blaze, and units from Barrington , Bristol , Rehoboth and Dighton were shifted to provide coverage for the rest of the town. Traffic was routed around that portion of Route 6 until 10:30 a.m. , police said. Firefighters were at the scene until about 4:30 p.m. yesterday. The junction of the L-shaped building, where there was a second floor, sustained the most damage. “It was pretty much gutted,” Burke said. “It was a really dangerous fire.” He said his firefighters “did an unbelievable job containing it to where it was and saving the two wings.” Complete Collision had just moved into the facility last July and was trying to sell its previous home, a smaller building just a few hundred feet up the road. By midday yesterday, workers were moving their equipment to the old location to set up shop there. Gene Emery can be contacted by phone at (508) 674-8401 or by e-mail at gemery(at)projo.com.
Trucking terminal burns, forcing closure of highway
The Associated Press, 2/25/02 5:24 PM
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Fire engulfed a warehouse at a large trucking terminal Monday afternoon, burning more than a dozen tractor-trailers and spewing smoke that forced the closure of a highway, officials said. Several hundred people were working at the Jaydee Trucking terminal when it was reported at 3:50 p.m., fire department Deputy Director Jose Cruz said. They all were safely evacuated, Cruz said. “It appears from what we’re gathering that they might have tried to fight the fire themselves” before calling the fire department, Cruz said. Flames shot through the roof of the 200-foot-long warehouse and formed smoke clouds that witnesses reported seeing 20 miles away. About 16 trucks were fully involved with the fire, Cruz said. The smoke forced the closure of part of the Pulaski Skyway near Jersey City after a three-car collision, authorities said.
Fire officials raise concerns about Borgata safety
February 21, 2002, By BRIDGET MURPHY Staff Writer
ATLANTIC CITY – After firefighters put out a small roof fire at the Borgata casino construction site Tuesday, officials expressed concerns about fire safety at the Marina District structure. The flare-up was caused by a welder who accidentally lit roof insulation, according to Fire Battalion Chief Dan Tamburilla, who supervised firefighters’ response. Officials found later that some of the welding contractors who are working at the site don’t have the required fire-safety permits for that work, Fire Official James Foley said. Borgata CEO Bob Boughner said Wednesday that he was on-scene during Tuesday’s roof fire and that if fire officials see any deficiencies at the site, they will be corrected. Foley said he’s looking into fire code requirements about water availability at structures that are under construction and will also arrange a meeting with Borgata officials to discuss concerns. A welding flare-up recently caused a three-alarm fire at Virginia and Atlantic avenues and led to the city fining two contractors thousands of dollars because they did not have a safety permit. At about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, a passer-by called the Fire Department after seeing smoke coming from the construction area, but no one at the site seemed to have knowledge of a fire when firefighters arrived, Tamburilla said. The fire was then seen on a fourth-level roof on the Brigantine side of a parking complex. Firefighters went up on a temporary elevator, or hoist way, and used extinguishers to douse the flames. “It’s a huge complex and what we have to fight fire is, I think, two hydrants on site,” the battalion chief said. High-rise buildings are vulnerable to fire when they’re being erected because fire suppression systems aren’t in place, according to fire officials. “They need to give us more access to water sources,” Tamburilla said. “If that fire got away, to be hypothetical, I’m thinking (it would be) 20 minutes to get water on it.” The battalion chief said that firefighters had gone to the construction site on Monday to become familiar with Borgata, which helped them locate and put out Tuesday’s fire. The $1 billion, 2,010-room casino is scheduled to open next year.
UPDATE, A.C. rules CRDA not to blame in Jan. fire
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Staff Writer, (609) 272-7258, E-Mail <mailto:[email protected]>
ATLANTIC CITY – The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has been absolved of blame and will pay no fines for a three-alarm fire started by contractors working on one of its improvement projects, officials said Tuesday. Earlier this month, the city’s Fire Department cited the CRDA for not obtaining a fire-safety permit and sought fines of at least $41,500 from the state agency and two contractors involved in the Jan. 25 blaze on Atlantic Avenue. But further investigation revealed that the authority had no responsibility for obtaining the permit and ensuring the safety of the construction activities of the contractors, officials said. Fire Official James M. Foley sent a letter to the CRDA last week formally releasing the authority from the case. He is now focusing on the two contractors, MB Markland Contracting Co. of Atlantic City and South Jersey Overhead Door Co. Inc. of Vineland. “It falls between those two,” Foley said of Markland and South Jersey Overhead Door. “Clearly, the CRDA provided the documentation that it was Markland’s responsibility to obtain the permit.” CRDA Executive Director James B. Kennedy praised Foley for investigating even further. Foley originally held the CRDA responsible, along with the contractors. “He called it as he saw it,” Kennedy said of Foley. “He had the courage to review the documents and reverse his decision.” Kennedy publicly released a copy of Foley’s letter, dated Feb. 15, during the CRDA’s board meeting Tuesday. He said the letter completely absolves the authority of responsibility for the fire and any fines. “It is evident that CRDA is the financial backer and not responsible for obtaining city permits and insuring the safety of the welding and cutting operations. Please consider this letter your release from this matter,” Foley wrote. Kennedy said Markland was the CRDA’s contractor and South Jersey Overhead Door was serving as subcontractor when the fire broke out during welding operations at the Crown Liquors store on Atlantic Avenue. The contractors were working on a fagade-improvement project financed by the CRDA. “They didn’t follow the safety requirements and, hence, that’s why the building burned down,” Foley said in an interview Tuesday. The fire destroyed Crown Liquors and badly damaged a five-story apartment building on the corner of Virginia and Atlantic avenues. City officials and the apartment owner are discussing whether to demolish the entire building or perhaps tear down the top three floors and save the bottom two. Police continue to guard the surrounding area to prevent people from getting too close to the damaged building. Police protection is costing $1,250 a day. Foley said the city intends to add those costs to the $41,500 in fines it has already assessed against the contractors.
UPDATE, Welding accident stokes fires of friendship
CRITICALLY BURNED in an Abernathy explosion, pastor finds care of friends a balm to body and spirit.
JOHN REYNOLDS, AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Sometimes it can take a trial for a man to find out who his friends are. John Valdivia, 39, of Dumas faced that trial when a welding accident left him severely burned Wednesday. Since then, the traveling pastor and evangelist has received calls and visits from friends from Amarillo to Lubbock, his sister, Lidia Valdivia, said Friday. Along with John Valdivia’s strong faith in God, Lidia Valdivia credits the positive thoughts of those concerned about her brother for bringing him back from the edge. “We can feel the power of prayer all the way down I-27,” she said. While Valdivia remained hospitalized over the weekend, the speed of his recovery has taken his doctors by surprise, his sister sad. By Friday he was breathing on his own, and by the weekend he was already trying to minister to fellow burn victims at University Medical Center, she said. On Wednesday, though, such a happy ending seemed unlikely. Valdivia and a friend, Stoney Marshall, had gone to the house of Mike Perez in Abernathy to restore Perez’s classic car, Lidia Valdivia said. Valdivia was under the car when he started the welder to attach a muffler clamp, Lidia Valdivia said. Stray fumes started an explosion that sent a ball of flame about 20 feet and lifted the car off the ground, according to Marshall. Valdivia was burned severely, suffering second and third degree burns through his welding mask from the bottom of his neck to the top of his head, Lidia Valdivia said. Marshall, who also was burned badly by the fireball, quickly put Valdivia in his car and began the trip to Lubbock to get treatment for his friend, he said. A half-mile north of New Deal, Valdivia began to go into shock, so Marshall used Valdivia’s cell phone to call an ambulance, he said. AeroCare eventually responded and flew Valdivia to UMC for treatment, Marshall said. Marshall continued driving to UMC, oblivious to the injuries he had suffered. When he got to the hospital, a doctor “said I was red as a lobster,” Marshall said. However, he would not agree to receive treatment for his injuries until he saw Valdivia, who Marshall describes not just as a friend, but a brother. Marshall was admitted for injuries to his eyes and vocal cords. He was released Saturday. Marshall said Saturday he never thought twice about his safety when trying to save his friend. “I would do it again,” he said. “He would’ve done the same for me.” While Valdivia has made it through the most critical stages, he still faces some arduous trials on the road to recovery. The hearing in his right ear was affected by the explosion, and he may have to undergo plastic surgery on the right side of the face, Lidia Valdivia said. He was fortunate to have been wearing his welding helmet, she said. “The owner of the house (Perez) said, ‘You should look at the helmet,”‘ she said. “It’s scary to think what would have happened to him without it.” Through it all, Valdivia “hasn’t complained,” his sister said. “He’s pretty special.” But then again, so are his friends. [email protected]
Worker’s torch starts fire at plant
By Larry Hobbs, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer, Sunday, February 17, 2002
WEST PALM BEACH — Thick smoke and the pungent odor of burning rubber filled the air above the West Palm Beach water treatment plant Saturday afternoon after a worker’s torch set fire to a storage tank, West Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Capt. Cletus Pirtle said. Firefighters received the call at 5:30 p.m. and had the fire out by 6:10 p.m., Pirtle said. The fire started while a crew was dismantling an old, unused 80,000-gallon storage tank, which once held ferric sulfate, said West Palm Beach water utilities chief operator Ken Blakeney. The chemical is used in the purification of drinking water, he said. Ferric sulfate is now held in new storage tanks, and the one that caught fire was one of two that an outside contractor is dismantling and hauling away to sell for scrap, he said. The tank’s interior has a rubber liner, about 1/16th of an inch, to seal in its contents, Blakeney said. The tank had been cut in half down the side when a cutting torch torched the rubber lining, Blakeney said. Pirtle said the fire was no threat to the rest of the water plant, although firefighters were concerned at first that it might spread to a pair of fluoride storage tanks about 20 feet north of the burning tank, he said. Otherwise, they may have guarded the fire and let it burn rather than risk exposing firefighters to the dangers of possible hazardous materials, he said. “With this, we could have sat there and let it burn out and it wouldn’t have done anything other than some smoke pollution,” Pirtle said.
Worker injured after fumes ignite
2002-02-16
A man was injured Friday morning in a fire at an Oklahoma City chemical plant. Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said Eddie Rogers, 44, suffered first- and second-degree burns on his legs and part of his forehead in a fire at Chem Service Inc., 4702 SW 20. “He was treated at the scene by Oklahoma City Fire Department paramedics and then taken to Southwest Medical Center, where he was treated and released,” Stanaland said. “He should recover just fine. It’s very fortunate that he was the only worker at the plant injured.” Stanaland said a worker was welding an empty methanol tank about 11:30 a.m., when lingering fumes in the tank ignited. Firefighters contained the fire in less than 10 minutes. Stanaland said several propane tanks and barrels filled with chemicals were damaged and might have exploded if the fire had continued. “It’s fortunate we got it put out that quickly because of all the chemicals stored in that building,” Stanaland said. “We were very fortunate with that many chemicals that we didn’t have more explosions.” Stanaland estimated the fire did $4,000 in damage to the building.
UPDATE, Welding burn victim improving
Friday, February 15, 2002, Last modified at 1:28 a.m. on Friday, February 15, 2002, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
The victim of a Wednesday afternoon welding accident near Abernathy remained hospitalized Thursday at University Medical Center, but his condition has improved. John Valdivia was upgraded to serious condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Valdivia was seriously burned while welding. He was being transported to the hospital by private vehicle, but his condition worsened during the trip. Lubbock EMS was called to meet the vehicle on Interstate 27, a half-mile north of New Deal, a Lubbock Sheriff’s Office spokes man said Wednesday. Rescue personnel eventually called AeroCare to take Valdivia to UMC.
Five injured in Baldwin power plant fire, explosion
By The Du Quoin Evening Call
Workers using explosives to blast unburned coal ash from the walls of fuel storage areas at the Baldwin power station apparently caused a flash fire that sent five to area hospitals. Contractors were cleaning unburned coal ash deposits at the plant at about 8:30 a.m. when the fire erupted, according to Greg Ade, director of maintenance programs for Dynergy Generation, which operates the plant. He said coal ash hardens as it builds up inside the hopper and explosives are used to break up the deposits before they are taken out. The combination of explosives, ash and oxygen caused the 20-foot wide wall of flames. Four contractors who worked for Graycor Construction Service of Homewood, Ill and a fifth Swansea contractor were injured during the fire. In house firefighters extinguished the flames. The furnace connected to the hopper was shut down. Two remaining furnaces remain fully operational.
Welding accident burns area man
Thursday, February 14, 2002, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
A man who was seriously burned in a welding accident in Abernathy Wednesday afternoon was in critical condition Wednesday evening at University Medical Center. The man initially was being brought to Lubbock by private vehicle, however his condition worsened considerably at about 3 p.m. Lubbock EMS was called to the private vehicle, which was about a half-mile north of New Deal, the LCSO’s spokesman said. Eventually, AeroCare was called to finish transporting the victim to the hospital.
Firefighters battle blaze at salvage yard
Burning cars, grass concern fire department, but quick action results in minimal damage
by Jeremy Waltner
The call came in as a grass fire, but when members of the Freeman Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the Huber Motors farm four miles west of Freeman last Wednesday, Feb. 6, it was the cars ablaze that alarmed Freeman Fire Chief Blaine Saarie. Owned by Huber Motors of Freeman, more than 100 cars used for scrap metal dot the intersection of 280th St. and 435th Ave. west of Freeman. Last Wednesday, when Hubers’ employee DeWayne Graber was using a torch to cut metal off one of the vehicles, a spark ignited the grass below. Saarie said the dry conditions and strong north wind caused the flames to spread quickly, and several cars caught on fire. Unable to put the blaze out himself, Graber went to Norman Hofer’s farm nearby to call 911. Saarie said when the fire department arrived on the scene at 3:40 p.m., seven cars were on fire, as well as areas of the grass on the 100 acre lot. Saarie says his first reaction was a question: “Was there gas in the cars?” Nobody on the scene knew for sure, he says, but Graber told him it was a possibility. “Obviously, our main concern at that point was putting out the fire by the vehicles,” Saarie said. That, he said, and a barn not more than 50 yards from the fire that – had the flames continued to spread – would have been at severe risk. So while the pumper and tanker trucks weaved in and out of the rows of old cars – many had long been rusted out – and extinguished the flames, the department’s grass truck circled the perimeter of the acreage to extinguish the grass fire. Saarie said firefighters also concentrated on the immediate surrounding area to knock down potential hot spots. “Once we got the grass truck on the edge of the fire and the pumpers on the cars, everything went very smoothly,” Saarie said. An hour after they arrived, firefighters were heading back to Freeman. Saarie says it’s tough to estimate how much damage was caused by the fire. “It’s tough to determine salvage loss,” he said, but notes it’s likely that valuable parts from some of the old vehicles were unable to be saved. Nobody was injured in the blaze.
Welder Burned In Fire at Elevator Plant
Middleton, TN, United States, 2/12/2002- 5:00 PM
An explosion and fire Tuesday (2/12/2002) at an elevator plant injured a welder, authorities said. The unidentified worker suffered first- and second-degree burns over about 9 percent of his body. Thyssen Krupp Elevator Plant Company vice president Jerry Watkins said the 5 p.m. CST explosion apparently occurred when the welder working in a lacquer booth got too close to a ventilation pipe that brings fresh air into the area. No structural damage was reported. The fire was contained to a small area of the building. The plant, which has 830 employees, is expected to be in full operation Wednesday. It is one of the largest elevator manufacturing facilities in North America.
Worker burned when blow torch ignites fuel tank
CHEWSVILLE – An Elwood’s Auto Exchange employee singed his hair, eyebrows and eyelids and burned his belly when his shirt caught fire Saturday after he ignited a fuel tank with a blow torch, a fire official said. The employee, whose name was unavailable, refused medical treatment, Smithsburg Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Ronnie Jeter said. The man was working on a junker when the torch ignited gasoline in the tank and a flame shot out, Jeter said. Four junkers and a company vehicle were damaged in the 11:50 a.m. fire at the salvage yard off Md. 64, according to Jeter and company employees. Jeter said firefighters were lucky because the flames were about 20 feet from oxygen and propane tanks. The propane tank was venting gas, as is normal, so firefighters tried to keep the fire from getting too close to the tank, he said. Since the fire was behind the main building and about 2,000 feet from a hydrant on Md. 64, three tanker trucks responded to supply water, Jeter said. Approximately 30 to 35 firefighters responded and the fire was out within 30 minutes, he said. Jeter described the fire as “stubborn” because it included burning tires and oil. Leitersburg Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. and Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services Inc. also responded, Jeter said. – Julie E. Greene
Several boats are destroyed in $2.5M. Somers Point fire
February 11, 2002, By MARK TYLER Staff Writer, (609) 272-7238, E-Mail <mailto:[email protected]>
SOMERS POINT – An accidental fire at the Harbor Cove Marina destroyed three dry-docked boats Sunday, including an award-winning sailboat. Among the boats destroyed in the $2.5 million fire was the Sweetie, a 34-foot sailboat whose crew was a first-place winner in last year’s Heart Cup Regatta charity race to benefit cardiac services at Shore Memorial Hospital. Skipper Mike Perry, who owns both the Sweetie and the Harbor Cove Marine Services marina, was working on the weatherproof seal on the Forget Me Knot, a 48-foot powerboat docked between his own sailboat and the Integrity, a 45-foot powerboat, when the fire started. The fire, first reported at 10:33 a.m., quickly spread to the adjacent vessels. “The whole thing was gone in 10 minutes,” Perry said. “I was very fond of that boat. We had big plans. We were going to go on to the world championships.” Somers Point Fire Chief Frank Denan said Perry was preparing to go on vacation when he checked all of the boats and noticed that a piece of shrink-wrap was missing from one of the corners of the Forget Me Knot. Perry used his propane-powered shrink-wrap gun to reseal the boat, apparently causing the fire, Denan said. “He saw what he thought was some smoke and there were flames in the bottom of the hull. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put the fire out,” Denan said. “He might have held the gun on the corner for too long..” Perry should have called the Fire Department first, Denan said. The blaze quickly grew to two alarms, summoning 40 firefighters, four pumpers, an aerial tower and a rescue truck. A stream of thick black smoke streamed 50 feet into the air. Flames followed the smoke trail upward 30-40 feet, making the fire visible from as far away as Margate. The boats contained onboard fuel, but that was not a factor in the blaze, fire officials said. The Harbor Cove Marina is behind the Bubba Mack Shack restaurant on Bay Avenue. “We’ve spent a lot of hours on that boat,” said Len Dagit, a crewman on the Sweetie. “It breaks your heart. In another month we would have been gearing up for this year’s season.” Meanwhile, some nearby homeowners were voluntarily evacuating. “We’re glad the boats are over there,” said Loretta Priest, who lives at 11 Kapella Ave. Her children saw the flames from the window and called her at work. “At one point those boats were right behind our window,” Priest said. Jim Murray, who lives nearby on Launch Avenue, came into the area to investigate when he saw the smoke. “We thought it was a house on fire,” Murray said. David Rain, 42, of Ocean City, who owns the Integrity, came to the scene from the Atlantic City Boat Show after receiving a call from the U.S. Coast Guard. The boat’s electronic emergency system alerted the Coast Guard to a problem and officials there called Rain. “There are 140 hours on that boat,” Rain said. “It’s been in the water for one year.” Firefighters worked for more than 90 minutes to extinguish the stubborn blaze that subsided and then rose several times in part because the boats were made of Fiberglas. “Fiberglas is extremely flammable,” Perry said. “It just doesn’t want to go out,” said Atlantic County Fire Marshall Harold “Whitey” Swartz, who came to the scene when the second alarm was called. The Bargaintown and Scullville volunteer fire departments in Egg Harbor Township covered calls in other parts of the city with a pumper and ladder truck respectively. Firefighters finally were able to extinguish the blaze by using a high-expansion, all-purpose foam to smother the fire. But that could only be done after flames were small enough for firefighters to get close to the boat. “Foam stops the combustion,” Denan said. “Accidents happen and that’s what it’s going to be determined.” There were no injuries. The $2.5 million damage estimate was for the three boats that were completely destroyed and others that suffered heat damage and also may be totaled.
Blaze Damages Walcott Home
By: Phil Roberts, February 06, 2002
A Jan. 30 house fire in Walcott caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to a ranch-style home and its attached garage. Firefighters were notified at 5:11 p.m. of a fire at a house owned by Geraldine Reese at 354 N. Grove St. A neighbor across the street called in the report. Chief Tim Iossi of the Walcott Fire Department drove directly to the scene and said that flames were visible on his arrival. He immediately called for mutual aid from firefighters in Blue Grass and Durant. They provided pumpers, ventilating fans and extra manpower to supplement Walcott Fire Department’s efforts. Blue Grass and Durant firefighters remained on the scene until after the fire was knocked down and brought under control. According to a WFD incident report, the cause of the fire is under investigation. But a man who lives at the house said he had been welding in the garage before leaving to plow driveways in the neighborhood. It was snowing at the time of the fire. The first fire unit arrived at the scene three minutes after being dispatched despite the snowstorm and slippery streets. Walcott firefighters were on the scene two hours and 52 minutes. A two-car attached garage and its contents were destroyed in the fire. There was also damage in the attic area of the house and some smoke and water damage, firefighters said. No injuries were reported.
Fire at popular Ward restaurant; Dave and Buster’s is evacuated after a welder sparks a blaze in an upstairs arcade
By Nelson Daranciang
Dave and Buster’s management waited for the fire department to clear smoke and water from the new entertainment complex to determine the damage from a fire this morning. A Kaiser High School junior class outing to Dave and Buster’s was 20 minutes old when the students evacuated the Kakaako arcade because of a fire in the game room on the third-level of the building. “I was playing one of those car arcade games and I could smell the smoke. It was happening by me but I didn’t know what it was. Then some people came and told me, ‘There’s a fire, so you have to get out and leave,” said Sheena Henriques, a Kaiser High School junior. The fire was caused by some sparks from a welding torch, said Capt. Kenison Tejada, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman. “According to what one of the welders told me, he was welding, and the sparks, the wash fell onto some stuffed animals. The stuffed animals started to smolder.” Tejada said the welder used four or five extinguishers to try to put out the fire and then the sprinklers turned on. No injuries were immediately reported. “We hope that we’ll be reopened this afternoon or this evening,” said Jackie Smythe, company spokeswoman. She said the fire was contained to one area, but they had some concern over water damage. Fire investigators had yet to make a damage estimate. The Kaiser High School students arrived at Dave and Buster’s in the Ward Entertainment Center at 1044 Auahi St. about 8:45 a.m. The first of two fire alarms sounded at 9:09 a.m. Firefighters were on the scene in four minutes and had the fire under control by 9:37 a.m., Tejada said. By then the students were back on the bus headed back to school. Just over 100 students went on the all-day outing that was to include lunch followed by a movie, said Anthony Gayer, Kaiser High School Vice Principal. The class leaders are working with Dave and Buster’s to reschedule to a future date, he said.
UPDATE, CRDA to face fines following fire that displaced 25 in Atlantic City
By BRIDGET MURPHY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7257, E-Mail <mailto:[email protected]>
ATLANTIC CITY – The Casino Reinvest-ment Development Authority likely will be fined in connection with Friday’s blaze at Virginia and Atlantic avenues that caused at least $1 million in damages and displaced 25 people, a fire official said. A welder’s torch sparked the blaze at Crown’s Liquor Store, and the contractor, who was doing storefront facade work there as part of a CRDA-sponsored improvement project, did not have a fire-safety permit that is required for welding work, Fire Official James Foley said late Monday afternoon. Flames spread through the walls and floor joints of the liquor store – owned by Robbie Sless and located at 1004 Atlantic Ave. and in part of 1006 Atlantic Ave. – ravaging those buildings and a connected apartment building at 2 S. Virginia Ave. Firefighters battled flames for more than nine hours before the three-alarm fire could be brought under control. Two shifts of firefighters were recalled and ambulances from throughout Atlantic County, and a few from Camden County, converged on the scene, along with city police officers. “More than likely we will cite them and try to recover costs that impacted the city,” Foley said of the CRDA on Monday. The city will try to recoup the costs of overtime paid to police and firefighters and the money contributed toward relocation costs for the families who were left homeless by the fire, he said. Foley said the contractor for the project, MB Markland Contracting Company, and the subcontracting company that was doing the work, South Jersey Overhead Door Co. Inc., also will be cited. The only reason the safety violation citations haven’t been issued yet is because officials haven’t yet determined exactly how much the incident cost the city, Foley said. A fire-safety permit is required before welding work can be done, and is designed to ensure that workers have fire-extinguishing equipment on hand and watch for stray flames for an hour after work is completed, according to the official. A bulldozer was at the scene Monday morning and has been there since the night of the fire. City demolition chief Jim Herzog said that evening that the three buildings likely will have to be demolished. The front of the liquor store had buckled early that afternoon and collapsed later that evening. But the fate of the apartment building is uncertain. On Monday, city officials and a private engineer hired by building owner Tony Trombetta wrangled over the fate of the century-old, five-story building, which has an adult store featuring peep shows on its bottom floor. “I’m fighting to keep it,” Trombetta said Monday, standing near the building he’s owned for 30 years as a few of his ex-tenants returned to try to retrieve more personal belongings. Firefighters went back into the damaged structure Saturday and brought clothes and some mementos that could be saved out to the residents. Trombetta’s engineer is expected to file a report concerning the structure’s integrity with the city Solicitor’s Office this week and then officials will review it along with city employees’ findings. The city is treating the building like a collapse hazard, although public safety officials did open modified traffic lanes on Atlantic Avenue Monday afternoon. Areas of Virginia Avenue and Gordon’s Alley remain closed. The CRDA office itself is closed. A line of yellow police tape was tied to the office’s front door Monday. Located next to a store called Person to Person Gifts and Monogram, which is owned by Ray Coursey, the office is just two doors from where the liquor store stood. Firefighters hooked a hose into the CRDA’s sprinkler system Friday as a precaution to save the office if flames spread there. CRDA Executive Director James Kennedy said Monday that some computers were damaged by smoke and employees will be working at alternative sites this week. Some are in a neighboring architect’s office; others will work from home or at authority construction sites. Kennedy said Monday afternoon that Markland is a CRDA contractor, but the authority did not hire South Jersey Overhead Door. (Staff writer Donald Wittkowski contributed to this report.)
Man Seriously Burned In Construction Accident In Colorado
January 29, 2002
A 33-year-old construction worker was set ablaze when empty barrels of solvent he was cutting open with a torch exploded in Louisville, Colorado. Witnesses said the blasts yesterday blew one barrel 80 feet in the air, engulfing Noe Aguirre in flames. His co-workers smothered him under a tarp and doused him with fire extinguishers. Aquirre was flown to University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, where a spokeswoman said he suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns over 50% of his body and fractures of his left leg. He was listed in serious condition. His father, 66-year-old Rodrigo Aguirre, was treated for minor burns and released. Both men work for All-Phase Concrete Construction Inc. of Denver. The accident occurred in an industrial park. Lt. Dan Turley of the Louisville Fire Department said Aguirre was apparently using the torch to cut the bottom off a barrel containing a toluene-based solvent the company uses to help break concrete forms away from the concrete once the material sets. The torch ignited the remaining solvent and vapors inside, Turley said. The explosion set off a second blast in the other barrel.
Man hurt in Te Awamutu explosion
28.01.2002
A man suffered burns when a steel drum he was cutting exploded at a speedway near Te Awamutu, south of Hamilton, yesterday morning. Te Awamutu police sergeant Lex Soepnel said Ngaruawahia man Murray Prowse, 37, was making rubbish bins by cutting the tops off empty drums with a gas torch at Kihikihi Speedway. A drum exploded at 11.10 pm. Mr Prowse was flown to Waikato Hospital with moderate injuries, including burns. The explosion knocked another man to the ground but he was unhurt. An Occupational Safety and Health inspector is investigating. The speedway hosted the National Street Stock competitions at the weekend. – NZPA
A.C. fire leaves 25 homeless
January 26, 2002, By BRIDGET MURPHY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7257
None hurt in blaze that causes $1M. in damage to apartments, businesses. ATLANTIC CITY – Fire destroyed three buildings Friday and severely damaged at least one other, despite the efforts of more than 70 firefighters, who battled smoke and flames for six hours, and then changed shifts with no end to the operation in sight. The fire consumed a five-story apartment building at 2 S. Virginia Ave., at the corner of Atlantic Avenue, and two connected three-story buildings at 1004 and 1006 Atlantic Ave., which house a liquor store and what appeared to be at least one apartment. Officials estimated the fire did $1 million worth of damage. A building at 1008 Atlantic Ave., which has a gift store and at least one occupied apartment, was seriously damaged. There were no serious injuries, but 25 people, including a few families with young children, lost everything in their apartments. Two businesses, an adult store on the ground floor of the apartment building, and the liquor store, were completely destroyed. Officials believe the fire may have been started by workers who were welding a storefront fagade on two connected Atlantic Avenue buildings. Many residents of the apartment building at 2 S. Virginia Ave. ran outside without shoes, some in shorts or pajamas. One mother wrapped a towel over her little girl’s shoulders to keep her warm as another neighbor sat crying on a bench near the burning buildings. Authorities got a call for help at about 11:15 a.m., from someone reporting smoke in the apartment building. Two engine companies and one ladder company responded, under the command of Battalion Chief Dan Tamburilla. The firefighters searched through the building amid the thick smoke, but could not locate the fire. We were searching for the seat of it,” Tamburilla said later. As Deputy Chief Fred Sacco arrived at the scene, welders who were working on the storefront fagade in the front of 1004 and 1006 Atlantic Ave. waved him over because they saw smoke coming from the area. Firefighters had already committed to action in the apartment building, but then realized the fire had begun in a different building, likely over the liquor store, and two more fire companies were called to the scene. “Now we get the call that the fire was on Atlantic Avenue,” Tamburilla said. “That was quite a curveball.” The firefighters attacked the fire offensively, going inside the buildings and to the apartment building roof. A ladder company cut a hole in the roofs of 1004 and 1006 Atlantic Ave., trying to vent the flames and keep the fire in those buildings, but firefighters then found that the liquor store had two roofs. The one they cut through was actually a false roof, so the heat wasn’t coming out. They also tried to vent the fire by opening a door on the roof of the apartment building. “The idea was to vent that building as much as we could but it was in vain,” Tamburilla said. “It just took off. Ultimately it got too dangerous. We pulled the guys out and had to start backing apparatus up.” There was a danger that one of the storefronts would collapse, and apparatus was moved farther from the sidewalk as the aluminum-sided wall buckled. Fire officials called a second alarm at 11:41 a.m., followed by a third alarm at 12:01 p.m. That brought all but two of the city’s fire apparatuses to the scene, and city firefighters from two shifts, between 30 and 40 men, came back to work. Absecon, Pleasantville and Ventnor firefighters filled in at the city’s firehouses, and ambulances from all over Atlantic County, including as far away as Dorothy, came to the scene. Hours later, at about 3 p.m., the Community Haven high-rise on Pacific Avenue, which is filled with senior citizen residents, had to be evacuated because of smoke. Then ambulances began arriving from as far away as Camden County, and at least four jitneys and two large city buses were used to transport a few hundred senior citizens to Resorts Atlantic City. One senior citizen had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Firefighter John Brenner III was treated at Atlantic City Medical Center, City Division, for smoke inhalation and released. He later made his way back to the scene. By 12:30 p.m., fire had spread to the apartment building’s elevator shaft and heavy fire made collapse a threat. That’s when officials decided to pull firefighters back and start pumping water on the building from the outside in a “surround and drown” strategy. At most times during the afternoon, at least six hoses were trained on the buildings, as smoke that went from black to brown to white blew onto Virginia Avenue so thick that the lights from Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, just a block away, couldn’t be seen. Chunks of ash caught in the wind and fluttered down to the street, as the hose streams sent a screen cascading to the sidewalk below as flames burst from a fourth-story apartment window. Firefighters perched on ladders several stories above the ground, directing hose streams into the buildings as other firefighters trained hoses on the buildings from the street level. By about 4 p.m., firefighters began concentrating on protecting the buildings behind 2 South Virginia Avenue. Located just buildings away on Gordon’s Alley, firefighters hooked a hose into the sprinkler system of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority office to protect the building. The air handling system at the Taj Mahal was shut down to stop smoke from being sucked inside, Battalion Chief Dennis Brooks said. One of the city’s new fire engines was involved in a minor crash with a sport utility vehicle when relocating near the scene and sustained some damage. By 5 p.m., firefighters prepared for a shift change as the flames continued to burn out of control. Fire officials called the apartment building, which is owned by Tony Trombetta, and 1004 and 1006 Atlantic Avenue total losses, and estimated damages at $1 million. “The guys did a hell of a job, doing what they could do,” Deputy Chief Sacco said shortly before 6 p.m. “It’s still burning in the back. The top floor has collapsed,” he said of the apartment building. The Red Cross responded to the scene and placed residents at a city motel near the Boardwalk. “I lost everything. We all did. It’s so sad,” said Terry Gay, the apartment building superintendent who rescued his dog from the building before the flames took hold. “We saw smoke in the kitchen,” said Judith Guzman, a Caesars Atlantic City security guard who hugged her 11-month daughter Andrea to her breast on the sidewalk. “I saw it coming out from behind the stove. I ran out. One of my neighbors said there was a fire.” Resident Ramon Lobo was sleeping in his second-floor apartment with his wife, Madey Ramus, and their 3-year-old son, Fabricio when smoke seeped in. “I got up and started calling floor to floor,” Lobo said. “I told my fourth floor neighbor to look around.” Residents said the owners of the liquor store were vacationing in the Caribbean for the week. Dozens of bystanders gathered to watch firefighters work, including a few City Council members. Emergency Management Chief Bob Levy and Police Chief Arthur Snellbaker also came to the scene, which was cordoned off by numerous police officers, who also helped coordinate the Community Haven evacuation, an effort which was reportedly diverted about 20 firefighters from the fire scene. Acting Fire Chief John Bereheiko made the rounds among the battalion chiefs and other deputy chiefs at the scene in the late afternoon, as firefighters began to dig in for a long night. City demolition chief Jim Herzog said the three buildings likely would have to be demolished. Some fire officials compared the devastation to a fire at the Manhattan Apartment building in the late 1970s, which had been located about a block away before it burned down. Before Friday, the city’s last major fire was in August, when three town homes in the 300 block of Atlantic Avenue were destroyed by an electrical fire. They await demolition.
Burning down the house; Part of Mile High ignites during demolition process
Posted: Saturday January 26, 2002 8:28 PM
DENVER (AP) — A fire destroyed seats, ceilings and carpeting in the west stands of Mile High Stadium on Saturday, days after wrecking crews began demolishing it to make way for a parking lot. The fire burned a 100-by-100-foot section of the second deck, including enclosed seats in the club level. There were no reports of injuries. The Denver Broncos vacated the stadium after the 2000 season to play in their new home, Invesco Field at Mile High. Demolition began last week, and on Friday the landmark scoreboard over the south stands was toppled. Fire officials had not determined the cause of the fire Saturday night. Joseph Hernandez, a bystander, said a welder told him he accidentally started the fire. He did not know the welder’s name. Demolition crews were working in the area where the blaze occurred, said Matt Sugar, spokesman for the Metropolitan Football Stadium District, which oversees the new stadium. Hernandez said an emergency dispatcher didn’t believe him when he first reported the fire. “I called the police to tell them about it and the dispatcher thought I was joking,” Hernandez said. “I said, ‘No, Mile High Stadium’s on fire!'” Forty-four firefighters responded, extinguishing the blaze within 30 minutes. Fire Lt. Mike Engelbert said the club level, where some furniture and carpeting had not been removed, was heavily damaged. The stadium’s sprinkler system had already been turned off because of the demolition. The fire never threatened Invesco Field, which stands just a few yards away. Mile High, revered by Broncos fans, gained a reputation as one of the noisiest and most intimidating stadiums for visiting teams. Some people watching the fire said it was the stadium’s way of giving crowds one more blast of excitement. “It’s only a physical structure, but it still has the last word,” said 82-year-old Ivan Rosenberg. “It’s always been a place of great activity. You think it’s done and it says, ‘Hey, watch this.'”
Water plant blaze causes little damage
By WILL MORRIS\Staff Writer
A fire broke out Friday at the CPWS water purification plant sending a plume of thick black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles. The afternoon fire started when workers renovating a water filtration basin accidentally cut into a bolt with an electric pipe saw, sending a shower of sparks onto plastic filters nearby. We cut a bolt with a saw… in five seconds (the basin) was engulfed in flames,” said Martin Silva, 38, a contract construction worker at the plant. The workers in the basin tried to put out the fire with buckets of water, but said it only made it worse, so they abandoned the basin and fought the fire from a catwalk surrounding it, Silva said. Workers set up two hoselines and brought the fire under control, but were unable to put it out because of the noxious fumes produced by the burning plastic. Firefighters dispatched to the fire told the workers to evacuate, and using ventilators were able to put the fire out. A pilot for Raider Aviation in Mt. Pleasant said he received a call from a pilot who said he could see the smoke from Bowling Green, Ky. The plant, located on Nashville Highway, is undergoing renovations to increase the plant’s water processing capacity from 15 to 20 million gallons per day. The plant processes water taken from the Duck River. The filtration basins, known as sedimentation basins, use chemicals, plastic tubing and gravity to filter out particulate matter found in the river water. The plant is being renovated under contract by Burgin Construction from Birmingham, Ala. The damage done to the plant was minor and won’t effect the plant’s ability to purify water. No one was hurt in the blaze. “It doesn’t affect water quality or safety,” said Jim Clark, general manager of Columbia Power and Water. Clark also said the fire won’t affect the renovations. “It’s more of a nuisance than a problem,” he said.
Grass fire grew quickly due to wind, dryness
BY JILL CONNER Lincoln Journal Star
Although Saturday’s skies were partly cloudy, a dark cloud hung for a time over residents in northwest Lancaster County. A cloud of black smoke, visible from Lincoln, was from a grass fire near Northwest 12th Street and Rock Creek Road. The fire started around 1:30 p.m. when Steven Baird was working on his tractor northeast of the intersection, he said. Baird said he was cutting a bolt with an acetylene torch, but its flame lit the grass and gusty wind spread the blaze quickly. “I wasn’t prepared to fight the fire,” Baird said. “It wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the wind.” Baird drove over to neighbor Cal Knudson’s home, where Knudson called 911, Knudson said. The two then drove back to the corner to await firefighters as the blaze spread over more than 100 acres. Del King of the Raymond Volunteer Fire Department said his department first responded to the 911 call, but called other fire departments when they realized the extent of the fire. About 20 trucks carrying 45 firefighters from Raymond, Valparaiso, Ceresco, Malcolm and Waverly fire departments responded to the fire, he said. At about 2 p.m., Susie Harris said she looked out her bedroom window to see a “wall of fire” inching its way toward her home at 20200 N.W. 12th St., about a half mile from where the fire started. “We started throwing everything we could into our cars,” she said. But firefighters were able to stop the fire about 100 feet from her home. “We were very lucky,” Harris said – and said she was actually grateful the fire destroyed some trees behind her home she’s been wanting to uproot for years. At about 4 p.m., the blaze was subdued, but firefighters continued to work until about 7 p.m., King said. The National Weather Service said conditions across most of Nebraska are perfect for grass fires. Lincoln area firefighters responded to nine other grass fires from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon. Winds of 10 to 20 mph and the dry conditions enabled the fires to move quickly when started, authorities said. W. Steven Schneider from the State Fire Marshal’s office said the northern Lancaster County fire moved about 20 mph because of the winds. “This is not the time of year to burn anything,” Schneider said. The amount of damage was yet to be determined, he said. Although damage to Baird’s equipment was about $10,000, the fire was on Conservation Reserve Program land, King said, which means the land is farmland taken out of production to prevent erosion. “The biggest loss is grass and wildlife habitat,” he said.
Workers Injured, Homes Damaged in Gas Explosion
Greenville, OH, United States, 1/24/2002
A gasoline storage tank exploded Thursday (1/24/2002), causing minor injuries to two workers and damage to three homes. The explosion happened at Monte Clark Petroleum, a bulk-fuel facility that is no longer in business. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Wolf said two workers were preparing to move a 24,000-gallon horizontal gasoline storage tank when their cutting tool generated sparks and ignited vapors in the tank. Wolf said the explosion damaged three nearby homes, blowing out windows in two and damaging the side of the third house. The workers were taken to Wayne Hospital, where they were treated and released.
Junkyard fire fills area with smoke
2002-01-21, Journal Staff
KENT — A worker using a cutting torch accidentally ignited a pile of old cars at Japanese Auto Wrecking yesterday afternoon, fire officials said. “It was a real tough fire to extinguish, because of the cars being piled two to three high,” said Lt. Pat Pawlak, spokesman for Kent Fire & Life Safety. No one was injured and damage from the blaze had no dollar value, because the vehicles were junk cars, Pawlak said. However, smoke plumes floated north and the fire filled the area with a sharp, burned-rubber smell for several hours. Pawlak said three engines and one aid car responded at 1:20 p.m. to the business at 7777 S. 262nd St. About a dozen cars were involved in the fire. As the flames on each car were extinguished, a forklift operator removed the vehicles from the pile and firefighters doused hot spots, he said. Firefighters had the blaze contained within about a half hour, Pawlak said. A King County Fire Marshal’s investigator examined the fire scene and interviewed workers, and determined the fire was accidentally started by a cutting torch.
Fire at Dunkin’ Donuts
SARAH W. WALKER, Register Citizen Staff January 19, 2002
LITCHFIELD – As the roof of Dunkin’ Donuts in Litchfield burned late Friday morning, Litchfield and Bantam fire departments scrambled to control the accidental blaze, while the Morris Fire Department stood by at Litchfield’s fire station to respond to other calls.”After an investigation by the Litchfield Fire Marshal Thomas O’Hare, it was found that workmen for the Berkshire Roofing Company who were repairing a leak, had accidentally started the roof on fire when the flame of a torch that they were using was swept by winds into a gap in the older building,” O’Hare said in a press release. The two-alarm blaze, which started at 11:30 a.m., was controlled in about 45 minutes. The fire damaged the roof of Dunkin’ Donuts, but did not cause any damage to nearby Senor Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant or a new construction on the premises, according to O’Hare. It is unknown what, if any damage occurred inside the building. Exterior damage to Dunkin’ Donuts was estimated at $5,000. Workmen began repairs to the burnt building on Friday, O’Hare said, after receiving approval from the Litchfield Building Official. Dunkin’ Donuts in Litchfield is expected to reopen in a couple of days, though a specific date was not released.
Fire damages center’s roof
From Times staff reports
An early morning Saturday fire at United Independent School District’s Student Activity Complex Educational Support Center caused an estimated $10,000 damage. The complex is under construction on Highway 359. Laredo Fire Chief Alfredo Equigua said the blaze on the roof was ignited by a welder’s spark. “The material that ignited was on the roof, which was tar paper and foam insulation. The fire covered a large portion, about 25 by 25 (feet). The structure itself did not sustain any damage,” Equigua said. “The blaze was caused by some welding work. It spread and was fueled by the wind that made it bigger,” he said. The chief said no injuries were reported and investigators ruled the damage at about $10,000. The firefighters used the construction company’s own lift equipment and the fire department’s aerial truck to attack and put out the fire on the roof. Equigua said it took the three units about five minutes to control and extinguish the fire.
Another local business heavily damaged by fire
ELANE JONES, The Daily Mountain Eagle, Published January 16, 2002 9:37 PM CST
Artec Tractor and Equipment Company became the third local business in less than a week to suffer heavy damage due to a fire. Saragossa Fire and Rescue responded to the structure fire that gutted one of the company’s three buildings around 8:17 Wednesday morning. The business is located on Alabama Highway 5, about seven miles north of Jasper.Owner Arnold Trimm said he believed the fire started when sparks from a blow torch being used to do repair work on a bulldozer ignited material along a wall. “Three of us were inside the building and I was working on the dozer with the torch when it happened,”Trimm said. “One of the guys said ‘fire,’ but I didn’t pay much attention. I thought he was talking about the torch. “It wasn’t until he yelled ‘big fire’ that I turned around and saw the whole wall behind me was blazing. We ran out of the building yelling for someone in the office to call the fire department.” Trimm said by the time the fire department arrived the building was fully involved because of all the flammable materials inside that are used to repair heavy equipment. “I think one reason the fire spread so quickly was because the air hose to the torch burned into,” Trimm said. “The air from the hose just fed the fire and blew it up the wall. That caused the fire to spread through the building a lot faster than it normally would have.
“We’re just thankful nobody was hurt. We can always replace a building, you can’t replace a life. We’ll just have to get everything situated, cleaned up and build it back, that’s all we can do.” Trimm said the business was insured, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough to cover the damages caused by the fire. A Monday evening fire that caused major damage to the showroom of Jasper Industrial Supply Company is still under investigation by Jasper Fire and Police Department officials and the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s office, according to Jasper Fire Chief John Dutton. A Sunday afternoon fire that gutted the warehouse section of McCutcheon-Love Furniture Company was caused by a massive electrical shortage, firefighters said.
UPDATE, Firm accused in fire paid fine in May
By COLLEEN KRANTZ and TAMMARA MEESTER, Register Staff Writer, 01/16/2002
Iowa City, Ia. – An asbestos-removal company accused of accidentally starting the Old Capitol fire paid $3,000 last May to settle an unrelated complaint about asbestos handling. The state sued Enviro Safe Air Inc., alleging that small amounts of dried-out asbestos were found at Sioux City’s airport and federal building, according to state documents. To keep fibers out of the air, regulations require asbestos-containing material to be kept wet until sealed in containers. The Nov. 20 fire destroyed the Old Capitol’s gold dome and cupola. Damage and expenses are expected to exceed $5 million. At the time of the fire, the University of Iowa building’s exterior and dome were being restored. Workers from Enviro Safe, a South Dakota company, accidentally started the fire using a propane torch and heat gun to soften a paint-like coating containing asbestos, investigators said. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Enviro Safe had been cited at least three times since January 1999 for safety violations, although none was for improper use of a torch. One of those resulted in the company paying $600, according to John Haan, Department of Labor asbestos coordinator. Haan said he saw nothing to sug- gest the company should not get its asbestos-removal license. The state Department of Natural Resources has issued several citations to Enviro Safe in recent years, including the one resulting in the $3,000 settlement. Steve Parrott, director of university relations, said the university does not check with the department on the records of construction crews it hires. Enviro Safe attorney G. Daniel Gildemeister of Sioux City couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday. He has said Enviro Safe followed regulations while removing asbestos from the Old Capitol. Since 2000, Enviro Safe has notified state and federal regulators at least 128 times that it was handling asbestos removal in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and South Dakota, according to a national database maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials inspected the company’s work 79 times, according to the database. The database does not show any citations or warnings, but it is not always updated, state officials said. In December, the Department of Natural Resources issued a “notice of violation” in connection with the Old Capitol fire. The department, which is still considering a fine, believes Enviro Safe may have dried out the asbestos by using torches and heat guns.
UPDATE, Firework ban after fatal spark
John Gittings in Shanghai, Tuesday January 15, 2002, The Guardian
The manager of a Chinese fireworks factory caused a deadly explosion by using a scythe to cut fuses, it was revealed yesterday. Six people died at the factory in Yongzhou, Hunan province. The manager, who was among the dead, was apparently trying to step up output in time for next month’s Chinese New Year, when fireworks are in most demand, when his scythe caused a spark. The plant was operating without a licence when the blast occurred on January 10. Eleven local officials have been punished and another 170 small factories in the area have been closed. The neighbouring province of Jiangxi said after a string of similar accidents that it would ban fireworks production, putting more than 200,000 employees, and thousands of villagers who assemble fireworks in their homes, out of work. An explosion there last month killed 14, officially, but local newspapers have published a list of 21 dead and allegations of a cover-up. The ban is supposed to be enforced by the end of the year. Critics accuse the authorities of taking the easy way out. “What laughable logic,” a contributor to a website run by the official People’s Daily wrote. “When accidents occur one should find out the cause, not use the blunt instrument of closure.” Other critics predict that the ban will never be enforced, citing similar examples in the mining industry, in which thousands of workers die every year. Fireworks earn Jiangxi more than #30m a year in taxes. Hunan is another centre of production.
UPDATE, Company Fined in Del. Refinery Fire
Monday January 14 3:39 PM ET , Associated Press
DELAWARE CITY, Del. (AP) – Motiva Enterprises has been fined $259,000 for failing to inspect a refinery tank that exploded and killed a worker last summer, federal regulators said Monday. The body of boilermaker Jeff Davis, 50, of Fairless Hills, Pa., was never found. Seven people were also injured when the sulfuric acid tank blew up July 17 as welders worked above the tank. “Motiva failed to internally inspect Tank 393 in a timely manner, despite its knowledge that the tank was long overdue for inspection, had a history of leaks and showed signs of deterioration,” said Richard Soltan, OSHA regional administrator. The workers were employees of Washington Group International of Cleveland, a subcontractor.OSHA fined Washington Group $14,000 for failing to contain sparks while welding and cutting and for failing to train employees working in the cleanup of hazardous waste. Motiva said it strongly disagreed with the fines and would vigorously defend itself. “Motiva and its employees never acted to violate OSHA requirements,” the company said in a statement.
Coal fire linked to torch
Friday, January 11, 2002, By Jeff Kart, Times Writer
An explosion inside a Consumers Energy Co. building filled with coal and coal dust in Hampton Township ignited fires that took six hours to extinguish Thursday, firefighters said. The blaze started at about 4 p.m. after a worker used a cutting torch on railroad tracks inside the dumping building, which is used to dump coal from rail cars into a hopper and onto conveyor belts, firefighters said. There was 1 to 6 inches of coal dust and 100 tons of coal inside the building, part of the Karn-Weadock complex, 2555 Weadock Road, firefighters said. The dumping building is five stories tall; four of those stories are underground. Eight fire departments and a total of 40 firefighters used foam and water to put out the fires, said Hampton Township Fire Chief Wayne Schaefer. “It was a very, very volatile situation,” Schaefer said. “The problem is that it’s such a fine dust that if you were to hit it directly with water, it would be like spraying gunpowder into an open flame.” Schaefer said the fire started after a contractor had used a cutting torch to repair a railroad track inside the building. Hot metal from the repairs fell into a pile of coal dust in a hopper below the tracks, igniting the pile and causing it to smolder, he said. No one noticed the smoldering pile until a rail car was dumped inside the building, riling up the coal dust and causing an explosion, Schaefer said. One worker was inside the building at the time, but he was in a control room and not injured, the fire chief said. There was no structural damage to the building, he said. But Karn-Weadock General Manager John Dobbs said Schaefer’s explanation is only one possibility. Dobbs said Consumers will investigate the incident to determine exactly how it happened and how to keep it from happening in the future. “We need to get to the root cause and correct it,” which should take about a week, he said. Dobbs said contractors follow a safety procedure when welding in the building. He said coal may have been smoldering in a rail car that was dumped in the building, or a spark from dumping equipment may have caused the fires. The Hampton Township Fire Department responded along with departments from Essexville, Portsmouth and Frankenlust, using foam from Kawkawlin, Pinconning, Bangor and Monitor fire departments, Schaefer said. “To put it in simple terms, what we wanted to do was make it rain inside that building with foam and water,” he said. The building, constructed of steel, is about 40 feet wide and 250 feet long, he said. “Half of that building had spot fires in it,” the chief said. “(The explosion) set off fires in at least a dozen and a half places.” Dobbs said the coal from the building can still be used. – Jeff Kart covers Bay County government for The Times. He can be reached at 894-9639.
Fast-spreading fire leaves about 20 people homeless
By Barb Ickes/ QUAD-CITY TIMES
A fire sparked by furnace workers using a cutting torch caused more than $300,000 in damage Thursday to a 12-unit Rock Island apartment complex and its contents. The smoke and flames that shot off the rooftop of the complex were so thick, the fire could be seen from at least two blocks away. At least one woman, who is six months pregnant and whose apartment adjoined the second-story unit where the fire started, was driven to the hospital in a private vehicle, said Rock Island Fire Department Battalion Chief Kent Maeglin. She was treated and then released after it was determined her carbon monoxide levels were acceptable, he added. I believe she made the 911 call, Maeglin said. She was asleep and was awakened by the smoke detector, which shows just how important they are. As fast as the fire spread, she could easily have been a fatality. No other injuries were reported. He estimated the damage to the structure at $225,000 in addition to $90,000 in damages to its contents. While the upper levels suffered heavy fire damage, the lower level suffered severe smoke and water damage. He said that the fire was caused by a cutting torch workers for a furnace company were using to replace a furnace unit on the second floor. As firefighters drenched the blazing rooftop and upper-level apartments at 529 31st St., several people who live in the building met for the first time on the street below. Greg Morris, who works for the U.S. Coast Guard, said he had just come home for lunch when he realized his apartment complex was on fire. I swear to God I was just thinking about getting renter’s insurance a couple days ago, he said. I got a lot of nice gifts from my family over the holidays – all of it’s in there. My first concern, though, is with the welfare of my neighbors and the firefighters, he said as flames continued to shoot from the roof. I’m often working right alongside all these other service workers out here. Though Lonzo Childs was inside his second-floor apartment when the fire started, he had no idea his life and his home were in danger. I didn’t smell smoke or anything, he said. I was watching TV, and the cable went out, and I didn’t know anything was up until I stepped outside. I got a bill the other day for my renter’s insurance, he said. I sure hope it didn’t lapse. Neighbor Bryant Locher could not even hope his insurance had not lapsed as he watched his apartment building burn.
CONFINEMENT FIRE
January 10, 2002
Lots of thick smoke, but no animals were involved. An empty hog confinement building on the Jon Swenson farm, about six miles southeast of Belmond, was destroyed by fire around noon Friday, Jan. 4. Officials believe the blaze was started by workmen who were removing equipment from the south end of the building with a cutting torch. Dense smoke could be seen for miles and fire trucks from Meservey, Rowan, and Alexander assisted Belmond firemen. An interior wall stopped the flames from destroying the north third of the building, an official said. But the wooden frame in the south two-thirds was consumed and the steel exterior collapsed.
Cutting Torch Ignites Chemical Fire at Paper Plant; Residents Advised to Shelter in Place
Wayne Ryland, regional manager for poles for International Paper Co., said Wednesday’s (1/09/2002) fire at the company’s plant near 20th Street and Range Line started when a maintenance worker using a cutting torch ignited some of the preservative mixture the company uses to treat utility poles. That fire spread to the walls of the two-story building where the poles are treated. Initially, the sparks from the torch caused the oil in a sump to ignite and flash off, Ryland said. Our employees are trained to contain small fires, but my instructions are for them to back off and call the Fire Department if it gets too big. That’s what they did, and the Fire Department did an excellent job. Joplin District Fire Chief Jim Austin said one firefighter was treated at the scene after some water, possibly containing a hazardous chemical, splashed into one of his eyes. Austin said the firefighter did not suffer any lasting harm. Fire Chief Bill West said the blaze involved a chemical preservative used to treat utility poles, and that made it a hazardous-materials situation. Ryland said the preservative is a mixture of a chemical called pentachlorophenol, or penta, and diesel oil. West said city officials used the reverse 911 system to alert Joplin residents north and west of the fire scene to close their doors and windows, and stay inside until the plume of smoke cleared. West said county officials were contacted to alert residents of Duenweg and Webb City. The company manager said it would probably be a good idea if we contacted people and let them know what was happening, West said. It is a chemical, and any time we have a chemical involved, we take precautions. With enough concentration, penta could cause eye and throat irritations. District Fire Chief Howard Reding said the alarm came in at 11:15 a.m., and the fire was under control by 12:04 p.m. All firefighters returned to their stations by shortly after 3 p.m. Ryland said some wooden structural members of the building were scorched, and some wiring and cabling will have to be replaced. The damage was far less than I thought it would be initially, Ryland said. If we had lost any of the pumps or other equipment, we’d be out for a longer time. I’m really proud of the response by the firefighters. They really saved us some big bucks.
Two hurt in Jerusalem petrol station accident JERUSALEM
Jan. 5
A welding accident caused an explosion at a petrol station in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon, wounding two people, police said. ”We are talking about an explosion that occurred as a result of welding activity in a car,” a police statement said. ”There were two wounded.” One of the two was ”moderately injured,” police said, while the other was only slightly hurt.
Man stable after blow torch line explodes
A 35-year-old Sussex man was injured in an explosion in the southeastern Johnson County town of Linch. Kraig Chadwick was apparently thawing the lines on a oil vacuum truck Thursday when the hose on a blow torch exploded, said Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Long. Chadwick was able to drive himself to help, then was taken by ambulance to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper. He was listed in stable condition Friday. He is an employee of Linch Environmental Contractors and was working at the company’s shop at the time of the accident.
— By The Associated Press
Blaze destroys Pittsfield landmark
PITTSFIELD – A local landmark on South Main Street was destroyed Friday when a spark from a welding operation ignited the building. All that remained of the attached Pittsfield Bowling Center and Laundromat on Friday afternoon were a few cinder blocks, charred wood and a singed storage barn. Everything I worked for is gone, said a dazed Sessa Menendez, who owned the facility. The 63-year-old man said he would like to rebuild, but was not sure Friday if he would. I’ve got to see what the insurance will pay on it, he said. Six firefighters on the scene were taken to Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield where they were treated for smoke inhalation and inhalation of noxious fumes. They reportedly were in good condition late Friday afternoon. Dean Billings, assistant Pittsfield fire chief, confirmed Friday that the fire started in the 16-lane candlepin bowling alley. He said some welding was being done on pin sweepers when a spark apparently ignited the floor. By the looks of it, it started and went down under the bowling alley then into the walls and into the ceiling, Billings said. We feel it got a good start. Some explosions occurred while firefighters were battling the blaze. Billings said some 55-gallon drums of lacquer, which was used to coat the bowling lanes, apparently ignited and exploded inside the approximately 100-foot by 60-foot building. It was very difficult to fight, Billings said of the fire, because it had such a head start. Menendez, who has owned and operated the facility since July 1973, said he had enlisted the aid of a Waterville friend to weld parts onto the pin sweepers to make them stronger. Work on about half of the pin sweepers was completed last week and the friend had just taken a break Friday from work on the other pin sweepers when the fire erupted shortly after 10 a.m. A spark must have gone under there somehow, Menendez said as friends comforted him. Justin Wells, a part-time employee who was making some repairs elsewhere in the building, noticed smoke coming from under the floor and alerted Menendez. Believing that the fire was a small one, the pair tried to douse it with fire extinguishers and buckets of water. But the fire quickly spread as Menendez called the fire department. The thing is the fire was underneath the lanes so we couldn’t get to it with a fire extinguisher, Wells said. Menendez said he rushed into the Laundromat and advised the people inside to quickly leave and to move their vehicles. I can’t believe that went so fast, Menendez said of the building’s destruction. If you want a little humor, I just paid my taxes, he said. His business, he said, catered to many leagues representing everyone from senior citizens to students. The nearest remaining candlepin facilities are in Augusta and Dover-Foxcroft. Roberta Nichols, an 18-year employee of the bowling alley, couldn’t believe the devastation. She was to have worked Friday when the facility opened at 1 p.m. She said she and two others, in addition to Menendez and his wife, Marie, are now unemployed. Menendez, whose mobile home located several yards from the bowling alley remained unscathed, estimated that it would cost at least $1.5 million to replace the two businesses. He said he had about $45,000 worth of equipment inside the Laundromat. Assisting local firefighters at the scene were firefighters from Newport, Hartland, St. Albans, Burnham, Waterville and Detroit. Clinton firefighters remained on standby at the Pittsfield station.
Fire destroys part of Chilean fishmeal plant
Puerto Montt, Chile: Fire has destroyed a major part of the fishmeal production plant at the Pacific Star company in Chiloi. Losses could amount to US$729,000. The Pacific Star fishmeal production plant in Castro, on the Island of Chiloi, suffered thousands of dollars in losses after a fired destroyed a major part of its installations, according to a report in the newspaper “El Llanquihue”. Fire started by welding spark? According to preliminary reports from firefighters, the fire started in the processing room of the plant, and quickly spread to the rest of the building, due to a large quantity of fibreglass in its construction. The assumption seems to be that the fire was caused by an incandescent metallic spark from welding work being done in the sector of the plant where the emergency started. 120 volunteer firemen belonging to 5 fire departments in Castro and a fire department in Dalcahue, Chiloi, fought the fire, and had it under control within an hour. Pacific Star registered a production of 46,000 tonnes of fishmeal this year. 74 staff members, in addition to 25 contract workers, were at the plant when the fire started. Heavy cost: In an interview for “El Llanquihue”, the head of the plant, Milton Sanhueza, admitted – without making a detailed evaluation of the damages – that the losses would surpass 50,000,000 Chilean pesos (CLP) or about US$729,000. The newspaper reports that the company was covered by fire insurance. Production to restart this week: Mr Sanhueza said that the fire had been a very unfortunate incident, but pledged that production will resume this week, in the older part of the plant.
UPDATE, 2 men medevaced after explosion in Liberty County
December 11, 2001
The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced two men on the morning of December 6 after they were critically burned in a natural gas explosion in Daisetta, on West Oaks Street, at approximately 8:30a.m. Roy Eugene Weaver,49, from Daisetta and Pablo Delarosa, 39, from Liberty suffered 3rd degree burns over 90 percent of their bodies. Melchor Delarosa, also of Liberty, suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his face and arms. The Liberty County Sheriff’s office contacted Coast Guard Air Station Houston around 8:45a.m. requesting immediate assistance to transport the two men who were most severely injured. According to their report, the men,employees of Hull Gas Plant L.P., had been working on a pipeline when the explosion occured. It was later determined that the three men were attempting to repair a broken natural gas pipeline. One of the three men lit a cutting torch to repair the pipeline, which ignited gas fumes in the hole where two of three men were working. Within twenty minutes, two Dolphin helicopters launched from the Air Station. The first helicopter landed on the football field of a nearby high school around 9:45a.m., and the second arrived around 10:00a.m. Both men were transported via ambulance to the helicopters, and were then flown to UTMB Hospital in Galveston. Melchor Weaver was transported to Liberty Dayton Hospital by Liberty County EMS. He was treated and later released. Weaver passed away early Saturday, December 8. Pablo Delarosa is still listed in critical condition.
UPDATE, Old Capitol damage to cost twice original estimate to fix
By COLLEEN KRANTZ, Register Staff Writer, 12/01/2001
Iowa City, Ia. – Repairing the damage from last week’s fire at the Old Capitol will cost more than twice what was originally estimated. The University of Iowa, working with insurance representatives, placed the damage Friday at $5.2 million to $5.6 million, said Pamela Elliott, business and finance director for the Iowa Board of Regents. Officials are confident, however, that insurance should cover the damage. The state’s general fund should not have to be tapped, unless it’s to cover expenses in the short term, state Auditor Richard Johnson said. The Nov. 20 fire destroyed the Old Capitol’s gold dome and cupola. The rest of the building remained standing but suffered significant water damage. Originally, the Iowa City fire marshal had estimated the losses to be $1.5 million to $2 million. Within a few days, however, it was clear that water damage inside the main part of the building was worse than initially believed. “We’ve been looking at all the water damage inside, and the fire marshal had no idea what it would be at the time” he did his estimate, said Steve Parrott, university spokesman. The $5.2 million to $5.6 million estimate, which includes expenses related to relocating staff from Old Capitol offices and fighting the fire, may be revised again, officials said. At the time of the fire, the building’s exterior and dome were being restored. Workers from Enviro Safe Air Inc., a South Dakota company hired to work on the building, accidentally started the fire after using a propane torch and heat gun to soften a paint-like coating containing asbestos, investigators say. It’s unclear what tool started the fire. The company was not supposed to use torches. Another construction company working on the renovation had warned the U of I as long ago as September that a fire might result. The U of I has said it may have been too lenient in simply warning the company about its alleged use of torches on the building. Enviro Safe officials have repeatedly failed to return phone calls. The company was insured for $2 million on the U of I job. It might end up being pressured to cover more, officials said. “The limit of the contractor’s insurance doesn’t necessarily limit his liability because he . . . probably has a separate umbrella policy that would cover more,” Johnson said. “It could be devastating to a contractor that’s a small contractor.” The university has its own blanket policy that could be used to cover any losses not covered by Enviro Safe’s insurer. “Let’s hope they don’t have to dip into the university’s insurance because long-term, that will raise premiums,” said regent David Fisher of Des Moines. The Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities, isn’t likely to become directly involved, said regent Amir Arbisser of Davenport. The Old Capitol, in the heart of the U of I campus, served as Iowa’s first capitol. It was also the first building owned by the university. The U of I expects to begin rebuilding in the spring, Parrott said.
UPDATE, U of I looks to rebuild with insurance
By COLLEEN KRANTZ, Register Staff Writer, 11/27/2001
Iowa City, Ia. – The University of Iowa expects a construction company’s insurance to cover at least some damage from the Old Capitol fire. Iowa City Fire Marshal Roger Jensen said Monday that an Enviro Safe Air Inc. worker accidentally started the fire while using a heat gun and torch. It’s definitely Enviro Safe’s insurance company we will be having discussions with,” university spokesman Steve Parrott said. The fire last Tuesday toppled the gold dome and cupola of the 160-year-old building, which served as the state’s first capitol. The university had hired Enviro Safe of North Sioux City, S.D., to remove asbestos as part of an $895,000 renovation of the Old Capitol dome and exterior. The company used open-flame tools to soften a paint-like coating containing bits of asbestos, Jensen said, even though workers had been warned not to without proper permits from the university. Workers did not fill out papers to make such a request, university officials have said. They did not break any laws, Jensen said. The workers were using a heat gun and workman’s torch outside the building near the base of the dome, Jensen said. A tool ignited the wood frame or possibly a bird or mouse nest, he said. Enviro Safe officials did not return a phone call Monday. The company has done asbestos removal and other work at other colleges, including South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota. Enviro Safe also removed asbestos from pipes at Corn Belt Power Cooperative power plants near Spencer and in Humboldt. There were no problems as far as the records show,” said Kathy Taylor, vice president of corporation relations at Corn Belt Power of Humboldt. The company was cooperative during the investigation, Jensen said. “Our analysis that led to the determination that there was no criminal intent is complete,” he said. “We will cooperate with the insurance companies and their investigators now.” The building is insured under a university policy. Enviro Safe Air and another contractor were each required to carry $2 million in liability insurance. The damage could surpass $2 million, university officials have said. If Enviro Safe’s insurance doesn’t cover the entire amount, it’s unclear who would pay the rest. Jensen said he planned to encourage the university to install an automatic sprinkler system in the Old Capitol. “This is a very close call to a piece of property near and dear to people not only in our city and university, but in our whole state,” he said. “There are steps we could take to better protect it.” Parrott said additional steps to protect the building would be wise. “We hope he doesn’t mean absolutely just a sprinkler system, though, because it might have caused damage inside the building” with this fire, Parrott said. “But we might investigate something for fire suppression.” A 1920s-era concrete fire wall helped prevent the fire from spreading beyond the dome and cupola, but the rest of the building was damaged by smoke and water. Firefighters generally try to use enough water to control a fire but not so much extra that the water causes a lot of damage, Jensen said. “Unfortunately, this fire was of such an extent that we were forced to use large-diameter pipes,” he said. The University of Iowa Foundation has continued to raise money to repair the Old Capitol. At least $10,000 has been raised since the fire, Susan Shullaw, a foundation vice president, said Monday. If insurance covers the damage from the fire, the money will be used to complete restoration that already was under way, officials said.
Fire damages site for loft apartments
By Earl Daniels and Dan Scanlan, Times-Union staff writers
It could have been worse. Developer Mike Langton expected the worst Tuesday evening when he drove up to the front of a downtown building he is having redeveloped into 12 upscale loft apartments and saw 10 firetrucks. Langton had been telephoned at home that his building, the W. A. Knight Building at 113 W. Adams St., was on fire. The fire caused minimal damage to the building. Langton had scheduled a formal press conference for yesterday to let the public know the $1.6 million renovation process is under way. He postponed the event earlier this week because more work needed to be completed. Instead of a press conference Langton spent yesterday assessing the building’s fire damage, which he estimates to be about $1,000. The public display now will take place Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the three-story building. When firefighters arrived at the W.A. Knight Building, smoke was coming out of the building, said Roscoe Hager of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Hager said there were no injuries or deaths associated with the fire, which was contained to the building’s basement. Langton said the fire likely was caused by sparks from a torch being used by workers to cut steel railings in the building’s elevator shaft. The sparks dropped into the basement, possibly igniting the fire. Fire department officials are still investigating the cause, Hager said. “It is kind of scary to have someone call you at home at 7:30 p.m. and say your building is on fire when I just borrowed almost $2 million to do this building,” Langton said. “It was a near miss. It could have been worse because there are other buildings next to my building.” Langton laughed when he compared the fire with the past difficulties he has experienced with getting the project started. “After all I have gone through with the city and lawyers who almost stopped this project, a fire almost did it.”