Hotwork Accidents #7
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
Blaze destroys eatery
November 11, 2002 by JENNIFER ROY
As Monday morning dawned the charred remains of a popular burger joint told a haunting story—a Sunday afternoon fire destroyed the Lone Star Drive-In on South Morgan Street. Granbury and Indian Harbor firefighters responded to the 3:45 p.m. blaze and quickly knocked down the flames on the A-frame structure owned by the Hood County News. “The fire started between the flat room and the A-frame,” city fire inspector Kevin Jones said Monday morning. “Roofers were working on the flat room using a blow torch. They were using the torch near some flashing and it caught some wood on the A-frame on fire. The roofers tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but couldn’t.” The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire, but employees were working inside. No one was injured, fire officials said. Jones said the fire quickly spread up the A-frame destroying the building. “There was a lot of free air space in that A-frame,” Jones explained. “So the fire spread pretty fast up into the roof.” Jones did say that many of the contents in the building could be salvaged. “The food preparation area was pretty much a loss,” Jones said. “But I was surprised that so many items in the front of the restaurant and in the back portion of the building weren’t damaged by the fire, smoke or water.” Hood County News publisher Jerry Tidwell said he plans to tear down the building. It’s unknown if the restaurant owners plan to relocate. Granbury volunteers used the ladder truck to attack the blaze, said GVFD chief Jeff Mhoon. “They used the ladder truck to knock down the fire,” Mhoon explained. “Ground crews put out the hot spots and helped with clean up. The truck helped us get the fire out quickly and safely.” Granbury police shut down northbound traffic on Morgan Street allowing GVFD full access to the fire hydrants in front of the Hood County News and Port Brazos Shopping Center. Motorists heading north were diverted around Meadows Drive to Paluxy Highway. Southbound traffic was delayed due to onlookers. “I did get a funny call (about the fire) from a Cleburne radio station,” Jones said. “They thought the Brazos Drive-In (movie theater) had burned down. I quickly corrected them and they said they needed to make the change before their next newscast.”
Florida man dies in freak accident
A Florida man was killed in a freak accident on Saturday, November 2, when the wheel rim he was welding on exploded, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Anthony Ray Edwards (37) was in Dodge County to go hunting with friends. He was a skilled welder and was doing a favor for Jack Bray by welding a log truck rim for him. The rim had a tire on it that had approximately 90 pounds of air pressure on it. A bystander told Edwards to deflate the tire before welding on it, but he proceeded without doing so. The bystander told deputies that he walked away as Edwards began welding on the rim. The bystander then said he heard a loud boom. The Dodge County EMS was called to the scene as well as the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Medical personnel were not able to revive Edwards at the scene.
Warehouse suffers damage in fire
By DAN CROWLEY, Staff Writer
Saturday, November 9, 2002 — SOUTHAMPTON – Firefighters from four towns were called Friday afternoon to put out a fire in a warehouse at the Marmon/Keystone Corporation at 1 Clark St. Firefighters at the scene said the fire began when cardboard and oils were accidentally ignited near an interior wall during a welding operation in the warehouse. For nearly an hour, thick, black smoke billowed in the wind from one end of the nearly 100,000-square-foot building, and flames reached as high as 20 feet inside, according to the Southampton Fire Department. “Warehouse (employees) ran in and said ‘Call 911,’ and we just hit the fire alarm and got out of there,” said Barbara Soja, an administrative manager at the company, standing among her colleagues outside. “We’re all safe.” About 24 employees evacuated the building with no reported injuries, company officials said. Southampton Deputy Fire Chief Stephen J. Hyde said it took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the flames. “They (employees) tried to put it out themselves, and there was a delay in calling the fire department,” he said. Firefighters from Easthampton and Westfield worked to vent the smoke and heat from the building, cutting skylights open on the building’s rooftop and using a chainsaw to open up a metal exterior wall. The Westhampton Fire Department also was called in for assistance. Fire officials could not immediately report on the extent of the damage. Some piping and other materials were destroyed inside they said, with clear structural damage to one of the walls of the warehouse. James L. Westcott, a manager at Marmon/Keystone Corp., said employees probably wouldn’t enter the building again until after the weekend when the smoke had been cleared out. The Marmon/Keystone Corporation distributes steel piping and tubing.
$400,000 fire destroys family’s thriving mill
By MICHELLE PAINE
A SAWMILL at Orielton has been destroyed by a fire probably lit by machinery sparking into sawdust. At least $400,000 damage was caused to Muskett’s Sawmill at Fingerpost Rd in the early hours of yesterday. The sawmill is owned by Owen Muskett, who lives at the site and who also owns a Huonville mill it supplies. Production at the Orielton mill, just north of Sorell, had doubled since being taken over by two of Mr Muskett’s sons and a partner only three months ago. The Orielton brigade responded to the 2.30am call after the flames were noticed by the Muskett family. They were followed by the Midway Point and Richmond brigades. More than 20 firefighters worked until 2pm yesterday damping down “hot spots” which kept springing up from the sawdust beds. “On our way out here we were coming up the straight and could see the blaze from over the top of the hill,” Orielton brigade chief Greg Birch said. “When we arrived it was fully involved and with the area, the intensity of the fire and all the dry material, sawdust and chips, it takes a lot of putting down. It hurts when you see it.” He said an Orielton volunteer who also works at the yard used an excavator to move logs away from the blaze, saving a large quantity of timber. Six people are now out of work and supply to the Huonville mill will dry up. Josh Muskett had taken over the cutting contract from his father, along with brother Justin and Craig Swan. “We’d doubled production and have worked long hours,” he said. “There’s nothing salvageable.” The mill was producing 50 to 60 cubic metres of boards a week. Oxyacetylene and LPG gas complicated the fire. Fire investigator Stephen Walkley said it was likely sparks from grinding and welding equipment in operation on Thursday caused a spark or molten metal to land on sawdust. “They had taken precautions but last night it was really windy and that would have stirred it up and got it going,” Mr Walkley said.
Fire at Wappingers Falls condominium displaces 26
By Nik Bonopartis Poughkeepsie Journal
WAPPINGERS FALLS — A fire damaged a condominium complex Friday afternoon, displacing at least 26 people from their homes, authorities said. Firefighters from the Hughsonville Fire Department saw flames coming through the roof when they arrived at the scene of the 16-unit Pavillion Condominiums, fire Chief Glenn Kramer said. The fire was brought under control within about 20 minutes, he said. No one was injured. Kramer said the fire was started by a man welding pipes near the bathtub of a top floor apartment. The fire spread from a wall into the roof, leaving two top floor units destroyed by fire, smoke and water. The Red Cross of Dutchess County was notified and a disaster action team was meeting Friday with residents displaced by the fire. Mutual aid at the scene was provided by firefighters from the Village of Fishkill, and the Chelsea Fire Department provided standby service.
Harmony, Beaver County
A Crescent Township, Beaver County, man was killed Saturday in an explosion at a propane gas company in Harmony Township. Richard Franc, 46, of Daisy Lane, was pronounced dead at AmeriGas at 2898 N. Duss Ave., where he worked. Franc was filling up a welding bottle with propane gas shortly before 4 p.m. when the cylinder exploded, Beaver County Coroner Wayne Tatalovich said. No other employees were at the business at the time. The business was cordoned off until a propane leak was stopped. No other homes or businesses had to be evacuated. An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Four dead, two injured in explosion
PUNE, NOV 8 (PTI)
Four persons were killed and two injured in an explosion in an oil tank at a company in Kukumbh MIDC area in Daund taluka of Pune district today, police said. The explosion occurred when workers of Parakhpur edible oil company were welding an empty oil tank. The tank suddenly caught fire and exploded killing the four on the spot. Probably, some residual oil might have been there in the tank, which was being emptied for welding, police said. The deceased have been identified as V S Shivadasan (24), R R Nair (26) and B Gowda (22), all hailing from Kerala, and M I Desai from Bagulkot, police said. The injured have been rushed to a private hospital here where their condition is stated to be serious, police.
Welding torch ignites Nikiski business
By PHIL HERMANEK Peninsula Clarion
Thick, black smoke filled the sky Tuesday afternoon as flames shot through the roof of the R&K Industrial maintenance building just off Kenai Spur Highway at Thunder Road in Nikiski. No one was injured in the blaze. The fire apparently started when a welder turned off his welding torch, set it down to begin doing some grinding work and suddenly noticed a flash as the acetylene torch somehow reignited, according to company safety manager Brad Hill. The welder had been cutting plate steel in the oilfield-service company’s welding shop. Hill said the extremely hot fire quickly spread to some wood-supported shelving above the area where the welding was being done, and then caught the wood-frame building on fire, burning through the roof. He was unable to estimate the amount of damage. The welder and about 19 other employees in the building at the time all escaped safely. The 40-by-80-foot building housed the company’s vehicle maintenance and welding shops, the safety department office and offices for the receiving department, the general manager and dispatching. The fire appeared to have spared the safety office. Hill said the Nikiski Fire Department responded within minutes of the early-afternoon blaze and fire alarms sounded throughout the office areas, but administrative employees already had evacuated the building. The fire was called in at 12:56 p.m., according to 911 dispatchers in Soldotna. Nikiski Fire Chief Daniel Gregory said one engine, three tankers and one rescue truck from Nikiski responded to the fire. Units from the Kenai Fire Department and Alaska State Troopers responded as well. The company, which employs 50 people, has not experienced any prior fires, according to Hill. A paint shop and equipment washing shop also are at the Thunder Road location. They were not involved in the fire. Owned by Robert Peterkin II and Mike O’Toole, R&K Industrial also has administrative offices in the Economic Development District office complex about one-fourth mile from the shops.
Torch ignites blaze at auto body shop
SALEM — A welder’s torch sparked a fire Wednesday afternoon at a body shop outside Salem. The fire broke out about 2 p.m. at Bob’s Auto Body and Truck Painting, 7085 Hazelgreen Road NE. Firefighters found thick smoke coming out of the front of the metal building. A vehicle inside the building caught fire as an employee conducted repairs with a welding torch, said Lt. Bill O’Neil of Marion County Fire District No. 1. He said it was put out about 20 minutes later. Shop owner Bob Schwab said the business was insured against the loss. A paint booth suffered moderate damage, and the building’s frame shop and the car being worked on suffered heavy damage. No dollar estimate was available. Most of the building was saved because of a swift response from fire crews, Schwab said. Fire crews from Marion County were joined by Keizer and Silverton firefighters for a total of about 25 firefighters extinguishing the blaze.
Little damage done by blaze, no one is hurt
By BRIAN CULP
A fire in Knauf Fiberglass GmbH’s boiler house shut down one of the fiberglass manufacturer’s lines for several hours Monday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the call at 1:40 p.m. at 240 Elizabeth St. No one was hurt in the fire, which was extinguished quickly. The fire was started by a bolt that had been cut off of a pump using a cutting torch. The hot bolt fell into some oil- and resin-soaked fibers, which caught on fire, Plant Manager Jay Moser said. The fire spread up the wall of the building to the second floor. Equipment Tender Rick Bernard and the maintenance man working on the pump, who was not named, were the only two people in the building. Bernard said they tried to put out the fire, but realized almost immediately it was too big for them to handle. The maintenance man immediately called 911, Moser said. Moser said the fire caused minimal damage. Besides having to replace several pumps, there was only smoke damage and some melted Plexiglas windows. “We lost a couple pumps and some wiring, but we’ll be back up in a couple of hours,” he said. Most of the plant remained running; the fire shut down just one production line. The boiler house is located next to the railroad tracks that run through the Knauf property. The building houses the plant’s wash-water system, water-filtering system and air-compressor system, all of which are used to run the lines. Moser said his staff is trained to extinguish small fires, but is instructed to call the fire department quickly for any blaze beyond that. “We have annual firefighting training,” Moser said. “But for the most part, if it’s anything that’s even close to being an issue we call the fire department, step back and let them handle it. We don’t like to put our people in danger.” Knauf has had several kitchen fires and a small gas fire that required fire department assistance in the past, but Moser said he doesn’t believe Knauf has had a major fire recently.
20 evacuated as fire damages church
GRAEME SMITH
AN Aberdeen church which was having a controversial mobile telephone mast installed in its spire has been damaged by fire. Workmen on the roof of the Holy Family Church in Mastrick raised the alarm when they saw smoke in the roof space of the 40-year-old church, which has a congregation of about 200. About 20 people were evacuated from the adjacent church hall, where a fund-raising event was being held. Firefighters salvaged “essential items” of value from the church, including the sacred vessels and the vestments. For more than two hours, firefighters tackled the outbreak from the outside as the flames were beneath the external copper plating on the roof and the ceiling. They had to peel back the copper sheets to reach the fire. Father Anthony Pelan, the parish priest who only took over a month ago, said last night the church had been “ruined” by the smoke and thousands of gallons of water. He said: “The main thing is, thank God, no-one was inside.” One theory being investigated is that a spark from a welding torch being used by the mast contractors may have set fire to material in the roof space. At one stage, more than 35 firefighters were involved in the operation. Hutchison 3G, the telecom firm, had initially been refused permission for the mast in the church spire after opposition from local residents. Last month, it was given the go-ahead after planning officials from Aberdeen City Council said revised plans meant the design of the spire would not be altered. The three antennas and one microwave dish were to be concealed inside a glass-reinforced plastic spire replacing the existing copper cladding panels.
Complex will rise again; Fire delays accommodations for seniors
Scott Crowson and Wendy-Anne Thompson Calgary Herald Monday, November 04, 2002
The distraught owner of an unoccupied, $20-million seniors’ complex that went up in flames Sunday vows to rebuild. “We’re devastated and, as upset as we are, we are glad there wasn’t any loss of life. And I guess that after the appropriate authorities have done their investigation, we’re going to start over again,” said Carl Bond, president of Summit Care Corp. Hundreds of seniors were planning to move in to Newport Harbour Care Centre in the spring, when construction on the complex was scheduled to finish. The centre was to house 125 residential rental apartments connected by a Plus-15 pedestrian overpass to the Harbour Care Centre, with 125 beds. But Sunday morning, a fire tore through the complex. Initial investigation suggests the fire was started by a worker’s torch, the same suspected cause of the Erlton condominium complex inferno in late May. That construction fire destroyed several buildings in the Waterford and River Run complexes and left 300 homeless. “We were just getting to the point where we were hiring staff and getting ready for an opening,” Bond said. “I can’t begin to tell you how many lives this is going to affect, including our own.” “I just hope we can get back on it as quickly as possible. And thank God no one was hurt.” The three-alarm fire at 8 Country Village Bay N.E. broke out shortly before 10 a.m. Flames shot skyward as black, billowing smoke climbed high in the nearly windless, clear, blue sky. The ominous tower of roiling smoke could be seen all the way to Calgary’s south end. Chris Keeler, who was working on the centre’s roadway, was one of the first outside the building to notice something was wrong. “It was just a little trickle of black smoke right in the middle of the roof,” Keeler said. “About two minutes after that, the whole thing was engulfed in flames.” The fire started in one wing of the structure and moved rapidly to another, both on the southside of the complex. Forty construction workers were at the scene when the alarm was sounded. One worker on the roof of the three-storey complex had to scamper down a ladder to safety. An initial head count indicated that an electrician was missing, but he was soon found. Despite the quick response from Firehall 31, which is only a block away, there was little the firefighters could do alone. They immediately called in a second alarm and then a third alarm. Fire department spokesman John Conley said the additional alarms were called due to the magnitude of the situation and to prevent the flames jumping to the other wings. “Because the building was in the construction phase, the fire spread quite quickly,” Conley said. None of the workers was hurt, but one firefighter suffered a minor injury when he slipped in the mud and twisted a knee. Forty-eight firefighters and 18 rigs, including the city’s 50-metre Bronto skylift, battled the fire. Hundreds of shoppers at the nearby Country Hills Town Centre watched the drama unfold. The IGA Garden Market, the closest business to the blaze, was evacuated at 10:30 a.m. The intense heat caused some damage to the grocery store’s rear siding. Edith Tucker, 86, who was planning to move into the facility in the spring, witnessed the destruction from her son’s house in nearby Harvest Hills. “She was watching from our living room window and was very worried,” said daughter-in-law Marlene Tucker, who went to the scene with her husband, Robert. The Edmonton senior has been staying with the couple since August in anticipation of moving into her new home. Family members, who had been gathered around the kitchen table, learned about the fire from a neighbour. “We came over right away,” Tucker said. She said her mother-in-law would have been extremely disappointed if her suite, which faces a lake, was damaged. “It was just gorgeous,” Tucker said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.” The rental suites — studio, one- and two-bedroom units — were saved, separated from the blaze by a Plus-15, that became the focus of protection efforts. Although the section containing the rental apartments was nearly complete, it wasn’t scheduled to open until the rest of the complex was finished. That’s because the kitchen, health facilities and other amenities were in the portion that was destroyed. Bond said he and his staff will meet this week to discuss how they can accommodate the seniors. It will be at least 15 more months before new construction will be complete. “We’ll have to have many meetings to figure out how we are going to accommodate the people we thought we were going to look after,” Bond said. Newport received $8 million in capital financing from the province. The Calgary Health Region is also responsible for operating costs for beds in the centre. Lorne Robertson, the CHR’s director of supported living, said more than 100 seniors from other care centres were scheduled for transfer to beds at Newport in the spring. The seniors scheduled to move into Newport apartments are living in private residences. Many of the seniors are at the Scottish Care Centre, which has been sold, and the Foothills Care Centre. Robertson said there will be 45 extra beds at the new Col. Belcher Care Centre, scheduled for a spring opening. “This is very tragic. It’s a tragedy. We need to digest what has happened, look at the extent of the damage and look at the long-term plans,” Robertson said. “There are a number of possibilities we will be considering.” Newport Harbour Care Centre was built, along with three other seniors’ centres, as part of a $33.2-million project financed by the provincial government. The other centres include Mckenzie Care Centre, the Beverly Centre and Southwood. The city’s new mobile command centre arrived at the fire shortly after 11 a.m. to co-ordinate the emergency departments’ response. First used in limited capacity during the Erlton incident, it houses special communications equipment. If waiting paramedics at the scene were needed, they would have been dispatched from the vehicle. The unit also has a communications link to the police helicopter to relay information. The HAWC1 helicopter, with a water bucket slung underneath, landed at the scene and was on standby in case it was needed. The building and construction managers stayed in the command centre to let firefighters know what they were dealing with, Conley said. The amateur radio emergency response unit set up hand-held and remote cameras so firefighters could see what was happening on all sides of the huge complex. “It’s all fully outfitted and ready to go,” Conley said of the command centre. “It does an excellent job.”
Garage lost in fire, Fire destroys Ream Road garage
News-Messenger reports
Sandusky Township firefighters and other emergency officials wait for water pressure to fight the blaze at the home of Al Frey on Ream Road on Friday afternoon. A Sandusky Township firefighter look at the remains of Al Frey’s garage that was lost during the fire on Friday. A Sandusky Township homeowner’s garage was destroyed by fire Friday after the insulation accidentally ignited during the installation of a hot water heater. Sandusky Township firefighters were called to Al Frey’s residence at 208 E. Ream Road at 1:50 p.m. No one was injured. “The fire was caused by the owner soldering some water lines together,” said Fire Chief Dean Schneider. “A flame from the torch must have got to the insulation in the wall, and into the ceiling and took off.” About 10 Clyde firefighters were there for mutual aid with the 13 Sandusky Township firefighters on scene. The firefighters worked just over two hours and used 7,500 gallons of water, Schneider said. Schneider estimated structure damage at $50,000 and the contents destroyed at $25,000. The fire also melted the siding on the garage and house of the neighboring residence, 300 E. Ream Road. It is a rental property also owned by Frey. Schneider estimated damage at about $1,500. Schneider said the safety message is: “Keep an extinguisher handy anytime you are using torches or welding equipment.”
Nashua fire damages structures, but salvage yard still operational
A salvage yard is sifting through the ashes and picking up the pieces following a fire earlier this week. Around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday fire ignited at Wilken and Sons Auto Wrecking, eventually burning down a shop building and causing damage to other structures. Firefighters extinguished the blaze around 12:30 p.m. The damage is estimated at $250,000, parts manager Todd Bienemann said. The salvage yard, however, is up and running. The office and many vehicles were not damaged. The biggest loss was the company’s hoist, he said. Wilken and Sons Auto Wrecking, 1157 275th St., plans on rebuilding the shop, but it will take a while, Bienemann said. “We’ll start rebuilding probably in six to eight weeks,” he said. “With winter coming and the fact we don’t have a hoist, it’ll make work a lot tougher.” An investigation is under way, but officials believe the fire was caused by gas fumes from a cutting torch. Nashua Fire Department controlled the fire with help from Ionia, Charles City and Plainfield departments.
Warehouse Explosion
Pratt KAKE News
An explosion and fire at a Pratt warehouse injured three men and kept firefighters busy for hours Saturday afternoon. Fire crews from the surrounding area battled the blaze for close to three hours before finally getting it under control. Flames came dangerously close to nearby fuel tanks. Three men were working on a car in the warehouse when the accident happened. Investigators say an acetylene torch the men were using may have ignited spilled gasoline, causing the explosion. Witnesses say the force of the explosion sent one man through a window, burning him badly. He was rushed to a Wichita hospital and is now in critical condition. The other two men suffered minor injuries. Crews are currently working to extinguish hot spots throughout the building.
Welders may have sparked fatal Vietnam office fire
Authorities in Vietnam say careless welders may have set off the fire that raced through an office block killing at least 61 people. Police are said to be investigating whether builders working in the Blue discotheque on the third floor of the seven-storey Saigon International Business Centre sparked the fire in Ho Chi Minh City. They are looking for the builders who fled the scene. Meanwhile, anxious relatives are waiting for rescue workers to complete their sweep of the office complex for any remaining bodies. Officials says 61 people have been confirmed dead but state media has been reporting that more than 100 people were killed.
Jackson County Plant Catches Fire
From The NewsChannel 19 Newsroom, 10/29/02
A Jackson County plant caught fire around 10 a.m. Thursday, while crews were doing work at Scottsboro Aluminum. Investigators say workers were trying to remove a smoke stack at the plant, which is now closed. Apparently, the crews used a torch to burn holes in the stack, when flames lit some grease on fire. The fire caused minor damage to the building’s walls. The plant closed in August 2001 due to financial problems. More than six hundred workers lost their jobs.
UPDATE, Welders detained in Vietnam fire investigation
01 November, 2002
HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) – Investigators into a fire in Vietnam’s commercial capital that killed at least 61 people have detained two workers who were using welding torches in a discotheque in the building, an official said on Friday. State-run media, including the Vietnam News Agency, said the two workers had been arrested on suspicion of violating rules on fire fighting and prevention. But a spokesman for the government of southern Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City said the two welders, one aged 32, and the other, 19, had not been charged and investigators were still looking at other possible causes of the Tuesday blaze. “Three welding workers were not careful while working at the Blue discotheque,” the spokesman said, adding that the two workers had turned themselves in to authorities. The third worker there at the time was missing. The fire at the International Trading Centre, in Ho Chi Minh City’s business district, killed at least 61 people, including four foreigners, and injured 102. Early reports said the blaze was believed to have begun in a second-floor disco, the city’s most popular dance spot. The city spokesman said the two workers had told investigators that during repair work in the disco with welding torches, a flame had set the ceiling on fire. “They shouted ‘Fire!’ and fled the site,” the spokesman said. The fire, the city’s worst in 27 years, was spotted at around 1:30 p.m. and lasted for five hours. The building had registered occupants of 200 and besides the disco, also had a restaurant, more than 170 shops and offices of 27 foreign companies. Previously, authorities and official media had suggested other possible causes of the fire, including a gas leak, an exploding gas cylinder and faulty wiring. Officials have said they were almost certain the fire was not caused by a terrorist act. The city spokesman said 32 injured people remained in hospital. Police were analysing DNA tests to identify about half of the victims. By Friday morning about 100 wreaths have been laid at the gates of the building. A dozen shops selling paintings, shoes and souvenirs near the building had reopened for business.
Fire Forces Evacuation of Cleveland Hill School Complex
(Cheektowaga, NY, October 28, 2002)
An emergency evacuation plan was put to the test at the Cleveland Hill School complex in Cheektowaga Monday, and it worked. News 4’s Al Vaughters reports students, faculty and staff were forced to evacuate because of a fire on the roof of one of the buildings. Emergency officials put their evacuation plan to the test when fire broke out at the Cleveland Hill School complex. Nearly 1,700 students from K-through-12, plus their teachers and staff moved directly to their evacuation sites – eventually ending up at the Cleve Hill Fire Hall. Paul Tout said, “When we got here, we found out everybody was okay, and that is a little bit of a relief, but until you have the kids with you, it’s a little bit scary.” Donna Leone said, “I think they did a real good job. It was good that they brought the kids down here to get them out of the cold, and found places for them to go.” Fire officials say a spark from a welder’s torch touched off the fire on the roof of the elementary school building. Construction workers are building an addition onto the 55 year old structure that is connected to Cleve Hill High School. Cleve Hill Fire Dept. Chief Doug Egloff said, “Under construction, it was a little difficult, but we had planned for this for a while. We had taken all precautions as long as nobody got hurt. That’s our main job – nobody got hurt – and we can deal with everything else.” Elementary student Brandon Tout said, “We were in the library, and all of a sudden, the fire bell went off. So we went out and we looked at the top of the building, and there was all kinds of smoke coming out of it.” While state law requires schools to conduct fire drills on a regular basis. those drills have a special meaning at Cleve Hill, where a tragic fire took the lives of several students back in the 1950’s. Cleveland Hill Superintendent Bruce Inglis said, “It is unfortunate that it was a loss of life that occurred back in the 50’s, but I certainly would like to think that today’s safe evacuation was a result of some the lessons that were learned almost 50 years ago.” Cleveland Hill School administrators now say the elementary school, Grades K-5, will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to the fire damage. Middle and high school students are to report, as usual.
UPDATE, Could the fire at the former Wolverine Litho building in Grand Rapids have been prevented?
(Grand Rapids, October 28, 2002 6:45 p.m.)
The big fire last week that burned most of the afternoon, causing the neighborhood to evacuate and businesses to shut down was caused by a cutting torch. It seems risky any time you start using open flame inside a building. So target 8 investigators wondered: Could this fire have been prevented? Are there any rules for using torches? What we found is a bigger problem and not much safety enforcement.Target 8 investigators have found at least a dozen fires around West Michigan in the last six years caused by torches resulting in injury or property damage. Across the country, fires caused by cutting, welding or other kinds of torches account for nearly 11,000 fires a year, killing two dozen and injuring more than three hundred. There are safety standards. in Michigan they are worker safety requirements.In last Monday’s Michigan Litho fire in Grand Rapids, the man using a cutting torch to remove an old printing press did follow some of the rules. Grand Rapids Fire Chief Michael Burton says “The welder that was on scene did have fire extinguishers nearby and a container of water nearby, but apparently some oil caught fire and dripped down through the floor into the basement and started burning down there.” But if he’d followed all the state safety rules that wouldn’t have happened. There wouldn’t have been a hole or cracks in the floor for flaming oil to fall down into. The state requires people using welding or cutting torches to cover cracks in floors and walls within 35 feet of the operation. In addition, there shouldn’t have been any oil to catch fire. Another rule requires that the area be free of flammable conditions and if that’s not possible, a second person should be on hand to watch for fire. Last Monday there wasn’t. The welder works for West Side Iron and Metal, a Grand Rapids scrap yard. His boss told target 8 investigators that he didn’t know there were state fire safety requirements. Target 8 investigators found that they are not enforced very often. The state occupational safety people enforce them fewer than ten times a year and the state department of consumer and industry service said it didn’t know if any of the times it did resulted from fires.In fact, it appears the state is not looking into last Monday’s fire either. So if the state rules are sometimes ignored and seldom enforced, what about the city enforcing safety rules? Fire Investigator Pablo Martinez; “The city doesn’t require it because we don’t issue permits for such things.” In fact there is only once job using torches for which the city does issue a permit, when you’re demolishing a building. Chief Burton says “When you’re taking a building down there’s a permitting process and the fire department is notified and there are some standards that kick in.”But target 8 investigators checked further. The city does have demolition standards, but not for using cutting torches. City Inspector Ed Lumas says “The demolition procedure we have in the city code does not specifically address fire safety concerns.”And so far the city has not considered creating standards for the safe operation of welding or cutting torches. Chief Burton says those tools are used for a lot of jobs in hundreds of places across the city every day. so it may be difficult to determine which uses to regulate. “I think we’re going to have to look at this whole issue and what we learned from this event and make whatever adjustments that seem appropriate in our operations.”If you’re wondering why it’s even the community’s business, the fire at the Litho building is a good example. It put fire fighters at risk. It shut down neighborhood businesses for a day and because parking was restricted all last week it continued to hurt business. Common ground coffee house was down about fifty percent because people couldn’t park in front. People were evacuated from their homes for several hours and once the rubble is cleared what happens to this corner could have a significant impact on the health of the neighborhood.
Smoke forces evacuation of Leprino addition
According to South Waverly Fire Chief Richard McConnell, approximately 30 firefighters from the South Waverly, Waverly/Barton and Athens Township fire companies were called to the scene at about 4:02 p.m. after a welding blanket being used in the addition smoldered and apparently caught on fire. Greater Valley Emergency Medical Services and the Salvation Army also assisted at the scene, McConnell said. McConnell added that work was being done in a concrete building when the welding blanket apparently caught fire. He noted that the building was declared safe at about 5:51 p.m. and the firefighters returned to the fire station. The whey facility began southward expansion last October by the Denver, Colo.-based food corp. as a move to remain competitive, Leprino officials said. Thurman Blanchard, Leprino plant engineering manager, said today that there was no damage to the building, but a lot of heavy smoke resulted. “Construction workers were evacuated as a safety precaution,” Blanchard said. Bud Shaver, the facility’s human resources manager, said there was no evacuation of employees from the rest of the plant, which kept operating as usual. “We’re still checking out that happened and putting our report together in the interest of accuracy,” he said. “But there was no fire; there was a lot of smoke in a relatively isolated section.”
Accidental Fire Destroys Garage In Grantsville
Sparks from a welder have been determined to be the cause of a fire that destroyed a garage at a Grantsville residence last Thursday. Firefighters from the Grantsville, Accident, and Addison (Pa.) volunteer departments were summoned at 11:53 a.m. to respond to the residence of Dean Hockman, 158 Bowser Lane, after a neighbor reported the fire. Upon their arrival they found flames coming from a 14’x22′ wood-frame garage that was adjacent to Hockman’s house. According to Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Wendling, who investigated the incident, the cause of the fire was the result of sparks created by a cutting operation with a welder, which ignited nearby combustibles. He said that the garage was totally destroyed, and he estimated the loss to be $10,000 for the garage and its contents. Approximately 25 volunteers brought the fire under control in about 10 minutes. Also responding was the Northern Rescue Squad. There were no injuries reported. Grantsville and Eastern Garrett firefighters were also summoned early Monday to assist several Allegany County departments in battling a structure fire in Frostburg. A two-story wood-frame duplex owned by Greg Gillium was declared a total loss from a natural gas explosion and subsequent fire. Injured in the fire was occupant William Bradburn, who sustained first- and second-degree burns and was listed in critical condition.
Employees, visitors douse warehouse fire, Blaze sparked accidentally by workers
By DAVE MILBRANDT STAFF WRITER
CHINO — Employees of a defunct furniture business and visitors to the company’s site extinguished a potentially dangerous blaze Thursday morning before firefighters arrived on the scene. One employee was taken to the hospital and two were treated at the warehouse for smoke inhalation. The fire caused an unknown amount of damage. The fire started about 10:30 a.m. at Arbek Furniture Manufacturing Inc., 13780 Central Ave. Workers were dismantling a spray-painting booth with a cutting torch when sparks ignited paint residue on a nearby filter, authorities said. Witnesses Larry Cole and Frank Mack said about nine employees fought the fire. Cole and Mack arrived at the warehouse about 10 a.m. to pick up the spray paint booth and some other equipment to use at their Covina sound-system business. They helped employees put out the blaze. “We were in there 20 minutes but it seemed like forever,’ Mack said. The two visitors were treated by paramedics at the scene and an unidentified employee was taken to an area hospital for treatment prior to the arrival of emergency personnel. Representatives of Chino Valley Medical Center declined to state if such a person was treated at the hospital Thursday. Chino Valley Independent Fire District spokesman Anthony Landin said the department received a call from an employee about 10 minutes after workers had started fighting the fire with dry chemical extinguishers. When fire engines arrived, light smoke was coming from the building’s southwest corner. Firefighters climbed a fire truck ladder to inspect the roof, but saw no additional damage. Landin said he was glad nobody was seriously injured, but encouraged people to contact the fire department rather than attempting to battle a dangerous blaze without professional assistance. “They should have called us as soon as they discovered a fire,’ he said. Mack said they feared the fire might reach the helium tank in the booth, possibly causing an explosion. “If we would have waited for the fire department, you would have had a big story,’ he said. Arbek, an award-winning company founded 20 years ago by Daniel Torres and Carlos Morales, sold fine oak furniture to more than 1,000 retailers across the county and in Canada. A recent bank foreclosure caused the company to close its doors, according to a recent wire report. The Calabasas-based Buxbaum/Century Services began selling Arbek’s furniture and equipment in mid-September and held an auction for the remaining items last week.
Blaze displaces borough family
By:Sally Goldenberg , Staff Writer 10/24/2002
A single-family home on North Eighth Avenue went ablaze at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, causing no injuries to the occupants who have temporarily relocated. The fire started as homeowner Rodney Weikel was repairing a pipefitting in second floor master bedroom with a propane torch, Manville Fire Official Barry Van Horn said. Mr. Weikel then ignited the room’s insulation and structural members. He unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire and eventually the fire spread, Mr. Van Horn said. The family moved in with friends and will not be able to move back into the home again for three to six months, Mr. Van Horn said. “There’s substantial damage there,” he said. “The insurance company is going to put a house trailer in their driveway.”
Quick response saves local home from fire, Calls from neighbors spare two-story home major damage
By SHANE T. FARLEY
Two quick-thinking kids, and their mother, helped keep a fire from destroying a Winfield home Tuesday afternoon. “Another 15 or 20 minutes and we would have been in trouble,” Winfield Fire Captain Gordon Dippel said in assessing the blaze. The incident is still under investigation. Crews arrived at 1420 E. 10th to find smoke and flames coming from the home’s second floor. A neighbor, Linda Bredehoft, had called the fire department after a pair of students from nearby Trinity Lutheran School knocked on her door. “They said the house on the corner was on fire,” Bredehoft said. “I looked outside and I could see and smell the smoke.” The students, who Bredehoft said live in Oxford, were apparently driving by the vacant house with their mother when they saw smoke. “She told them to go banging on doors to find someone to call 911,” Bredehoft said. The family noticed the fire just in time. With the house’s close proximity to the fire station, crews were able to arrive in time to extinguish the blaze before it could cause major damage. Local realtor Bob Hauber had a key to the house which he sold to the current owner, Eileen Wilson, about two years ago. A propane torch being used by someone working on the house might have been the cause of the fire, Hauber said. “They tell me the damage is very minimal,” he said. Renters had moved out over a month ago. Hauber was appreciative of employees of Prime Place restaurant who also reportedly saw the fire, placed a call to 911 and then went to see if anyone was in the home. Todd Swords, an employee at Prime Place, entered the home to check to see if anyone was inside. He went to the second floor and saw the fire burning. “I got up there, checked around and then I heard the fire department and figured it was their job so I got out of there,” Swords told the Courier this morning. Jennifer Love’s adrenaline was pumping Tuesday afternoon. After a few months on the job she finally had her first chance to go on a fire run as a reserve firefighter. Love, an employee at the City-Cowley County Health Department, was paged just after 3 p.m. to respond to a fire. “I was headed to a meeting and I had a dress on,” Love said as other firefighters worked behind her. She quickly made it to the fire department where she ducked into a closet for a quick change of clothes before emerging as Winfield’s only female firefighter. Her job was to enter the house and look for anyone who might be inside. “It was an easy one today,” she said. Love, 27, has been through the required training and proven she can perform all the tasks the job requires, Dippel said. The men in the department have always treated her well, she said. “She’s confident in her abilities, and that’s what you need,” Dippel said. “There are a lot of ladies out there who can do this job.” At least two women, including Love, have expressed interest in a full-time position, according to Fire Chief Curtis Wilson. They would be given the same consideration as any other candidate assuming they have the proper training, he said. A Web site operated by Women in the Fire Service Inc. estimates that about 6,200 women in the United States are full-time firefighters. Another 30,000 to 40,000 volunteer to fight fires worldwide. You can visit the site at www.wfsi.org.
UPDATE, Welding spark sets dozens of boats ablaze at marina near Hastings
BY LISA DONOVAN Pioneer Press
A boat owner welding on his craft docked at King’s Cove Marina near Hastings sparked a massive fire this afternoon. By 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 boats had been set ablaze. Firefighters from Hastings and other communities were still battling the fire early this evening, said Washington County Sheriff Jim Frank. No injuries have been reported in the two hours since fire crews were called to the marina, which straddles the Dakota-Washington county line and is on Hwy. 61. A boat owner was doing some welding on his craft when it caught fire, he said. Because the boats are dry-docked, they are parked close to each other — making it easier for the fire to spread from one craft to the other, Frank said. “It sounds like a spark jumped…then the wind shifted,” Frank said. Firefighters from Prescott, Rosemount, and Cottage Grove, were called in to assist the Hastings Fire Department.
Morning fire destroys former Wolverine Litho building
(Grand Rapids, October 21, 2002, 2002, 6:53 p.m.) Fire consumed the former Wolverine Litho building in Grand Rapids on Monday. It started about 11:40 a.m., when nearby witnesses heard an explosion. Fire quickly engulfed the building, and smoke that varied from white to dark brown could be seen for miles. The former Wolverine Litho building, located at the corner of Fulton and Carlton, had been empty for three or four years. One person was inside at the time the fire started. Ken Lukas tells 24 Hour News 8 that he was using a torch to separate large printing presses. The presses were too large to remove from the building without being disassembled. Lukas says sparks from the torch may have lit some of the oil from the presses on fire. He says the oil dripped into the basement area, where old cardboard, wooden floors, and other material quickly caught on fire. Lukas says he ran out the building as soon as he realized what was happening. Fortunately, no one else was inside. Greg Gilmore, a local restaurant developer, was in the process of buying the building. Gilmore told 24 Hour News 8 that he had planned on turning the building into a gourmet restaurant and market. However, there is currently a lawsuit pending on the building by another interested party. It is not immediately clear what stage that lawsuit is in right now. Fire investigators say the are working under the premise that this was an accidental fire caused by the welding work. However, they are not closing the door on other possibilities, and the investigation continues.
Fire destroys more than 20 boats at marina in Hastings
Pam Louwagie, Star Tribune Published Oct 21, 2002 FIRE21
A fire believed to have been accidentally started by a propane torch destroyed more than 20 leisure boats Sunday at a marina across the Mississippi River from downtown Hastings. There were no serious injuries, but several expensive boats were among the vessels that burned in a winter storage lot at King’s Cove Marina. “You just have to be real grateful that nobody was injured,” said King’s Cove co-owner Laura King Spillane. “I feel bad for the owners whose boats are involved. This is their cabin, it’s their second home, they live on them all summer long, and they care for them.” She said the boats ranged in value from $15,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The fire remains under investigation, but firefighters believe it began as a man used a heating device fueled by a propane torch to warm the shrink-wrap covering on a boat, said Hastings fire chief Mark Holmes. Fire departments from Hastings, Cottage Grove, Rosemount, Miesville and Woodbury responded. Authorities closed Hwy. 61 north of the Hastings bridge for a time because black smoke was drifting across it, causing problems for drivers. Dozens of people walked along the highway to get a better view of the blaze. Jeff Deitner, 17, of Hastings, was in his kitchen, he said, when he “heard these popping noises coming from across the river” about 3:45 p.m. “There were some explosive bangs and then puffs of black smoke,” he said. “We went outside and the sky was pitch black.” The fire had been contained by early evening. Emergency workers were cruising the nearby water to watch for pollution, and container booms were ready for use, Holmes said. He said they were also concerned about particles and odors from burning fiberglass, glue and resin. An emergency response crew from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will visit the marina this morning to check runoff and measure air quality, said MPCA spokesman Mike Rafferty. He said MPCA officials, after talking with firefighters, concluded Sunday evening that there was no immediate danger. King’s Cove, with slips for 415 boats, is one of the metro area’s larger marinas. Spillane and her brother, Bill King, own the marina, which their father, William, started 36 years ago. She said King’s Cove is insured. Boat owners were not allowed to enter the marina Sunday night. At midevening, firefighters said they couldn’t get close enough to the burned boats to determine who owned them. However, the commodore of the King’s Cove Yacht Club, Bill Schreiner of Woodbury, said his phone was ringing almost constantly Sunday afternoon as club members heard about the fire. Some of the club members’ 86 boats may have been stored in the area where the fire occurred, he said, including one of his two boats. “I’m pretty sure one of them is toast,” he said of his boats. He said he often towed that 16-foot dinghy, named “Smarty Pants,” behind his yacht on the nearby St. Croix River. “It’s one of our children,” he said. “You know how boats are.” Mel Kidney of Forest Lake and his fianceé, Peg Rowe, stood in the light snow on a road overlooking the marina, watching once-shiny boats melt in the heat and fearing they had lost “Yes Dear,” a 41-foot yacht they bought a year ago. “This was my dream boat, the boat I wanted to retire in,” Kidney said. He said they had filled the yacht’s tank with 320 gallons of fuel to prevent condensation over the winter. When they saw an aerial view of the fire on TV and knew their boat was in the area, “it pretty much made our hearts fall to our feet,” he said. Still, he added, “Life is about people, and being able to enjoy your friends down here. Boats can be replaced.” The fire began about 3:30 p.m. and spread to other boats within 15 minutes, Holmes said. The cabin cruisers, houseboats and other vessels at the marina range in length from about 28 to 41 feet. Many have large fuel tanks and propane stoves. Spillane’s father opened the marina near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers after he saw the site on train rides to his job in Red Wing, Spillane said. Spillane said the size and intensity of the fire surprised her. “I didn’t think it would be anything like this — never in a million years.” Staff writer Terry Collins contributed to this story.
Fire contained in afternoon blaze
Monday, October 21, 2002
Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire that broke out on the roof of a two-story building in the Jersey City Heights Saturday afternoon, fire officials said. The blaze, which spread to the attic, started around 2:30 p.m. to a Hutton Street building between Central and Summit avenues, said Deputy Fire Department Director Jose Cruz. While no one was hurt, Cruz said firefighters were concerned because the building – a two-story wood-frame structure – was attached to five other buildings. “Once it gets in that cock loft (attic) you really have to be aggressive and open up the roof,” Cruz said. “If it gets away from you, you will lose all five buildings.” Firefighters used a ladder to get to the roof, Cruz said, and opened it up to let out the flames. The fire was confined to the roof and attic of the one building, he said. The fire is under investigation, but Cruz said witnesses told fire officials that workers were using a torch on the roof when the blaze broke out.
Material in roofing truck catches fire, no structures damaged.
The Orange County Register
A roofing truck crane caused a fire and a power outage in the 400 block of South Flower Street in Orange this morning. About 1,800 residents lost power when the crane got stuck in power lines. The tangle created sparks igniting materials on the truck, Orange Fire Department Capt. Doug Fackiner said. Thick black smoke billowed toward the sky. “It’s usually tar-type materials that generate that kind of smoke,” he said. The truck was damaged, there were no injuries. There was no damage to nearby apartments, Fackiner said. The fire department got the call at 10:02 a.m. and had the fire out in about 10 minutes, Fackiner said. Most of the affected residents had power restored within one hour.
One killed, six injured in Durban factory explosion
October 17, 2002, 07:20 PM
A massive explosion shattered a Durban factory late this afternoon, killing one person and injuring six more. It is believed to be the third explosion at the Bresman factory in a month. The force of the explosion ripped-off sections of the factory’s roof. One of the injured was flung about 10m through the air. A fire also broke out. Workers say they were welding on top of a container of bitumen. It is believed a spark triggered the explosion. A worker who suffered slight spinal injuries said it was his first day on the job. He works for a company contracted by Bresman. He was eating lunch when the explosion ripped through a tank he was leaning against. The injured were treated at a clinic a few metres away from the factory. Environmentalists are outraged. The Department of Labour had inspected the premises after last week’s explosion. Company management has refused to comment.
Mobile home fire shortcuts salvage job
By JAIME HERNANDEZ Staff Writer
PORT ORANGE — A vacant mobile home went up in flames Thursday afternoon when a salvage crew worker accidentally ignited the paper insulation under the home with a welding torch, fire officials said. The worker was trying to weld a towing tongue onto the front of the mobile home at the Parkwood Mobile Home Park at the corner of Nova Road and Spruce Creek Road when the insulation caught fire around 3 p.m., Port Orange Fire Marshal Buddy Campbell said. A salvage company had just bought the home and was planning to tow it to an undisclosed location. The fire quickly spread to the rear of the mobile home and inside through a hole in the bottom of the dwelling. Firefighters had the blaze under control after 15 minutes, but the home was destroyed, Campbell said. No injuries were reported. Campbell said the fire was ruled an accident.
Sparks burn boxes in empty building
By Sentinel staff October 18, 2002
A small fire broke out shortly after noon Thursday at the former Federal Equipment building in the 200 block of Lincoln Street in Carlisle when sparks from an acetylene torch caught on some cardboard boxes, says Deputy Carlisle Fire Chief Bob Snyder. No one was injured. Snyder says the call went to a second alarm because it was believed people were inside. However, firefighters arrived to find the workers from contractor Perry County Metals Inc. had gone to lunch and the building was empty. The building is being demolished to make way for construction of a $3.3 million Carlisle police station. Perry County Metals was hired to remove the metal parts from the building.
Welding torch ignites fire in vacant building
By Thomas Geyer
A welder’s torch touched off a fire Wednesday morning in some insulation at the old Brammer Manufacturing Co. plant in Davenport, authorities said. The fire started about 11 a.m., when flame from the torch ignited some insulation as the worker was cutting through old scrap metal on the second floor of the plant, Davenport Fire Chief Mark Frese said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the small, but smoky, fire that caused puffs of white smoke to slowly billow out of the building’s overhead and side vents. Tom Rudbeck, the owner of the building at 1441 W. 2nd St., said he is in the process of gutting and cleaning the second floor, getting it ready for anyone who wants to use the building for warehousing or light manufacturing. The fire, he added, was just a small inconvenience. There is no damage estimate because everything in the building is going to be thrown out. “We’ve already gutted the first and third floors,” said Rudbeck, adding that he has owned the building for about a year. “We’ve already taken about 10 semi loads of junk out of it.” Rudbeck said a clean building allows potential business owners to better visualize how they can use the building. “I’ve been close a couple of times to having someone move in a couple of times,” he said. But since there have been no takers, he has taken his time cleaning the building. “I’m hoping we’re done gutting and cleaning it up it in a couple of months,” he said. “If someone comes along that wants to use the building, we’ll move more quickly.”
Roofers start fire on historic school building
Classes at Fresno High expected to resume today; two brothers working on roof seriously burned
October 16, 2002
FRESNO (AP) — Fresno High School was evacuated and classes were canceled Tuesday after roofers sparked a blaze on the oldest building on campus. Two brothers working on the roof were seriously burned, but all students and staff were evacuated safely, said school spokeswoman Jill Marmolejo. Students were excused for the day, but classes were scheduled to resume today. The school was being renovated when Fryer Roofing Co. workers using torches sparked a blaze on the roof of Royce Hall, officials said. Both injured men were taken to University Medical Center, where one remained in critical condition Tuesday night. The other was released. Flames soared above the roof of the 80-year-old building, and plumes of smoke were visible from far away. “My heart almost stopped when I saw those flames and I said, ‘I just hope we can save the building because it means so much,’ ” said Principal Bob Reyes. Royce Hall is the core of the original school and houses an auditorium and classes on the 2,800-student campus. The blaz caused an estimated $450,000 in damage.
Welding Work Sparks Pharmaceuticals Fire, Building Suffers Little Damage
October 15, 2002
ROUSES POINT, N.Y. — Welding work was blamed for sparking a minor fire at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Rouses Point Tuesday morning, according to fire officials. The fire started a little after 8 a.m. officials said. The Rouses Point fire chief said contractors were putting in new machinery and welding an angle iron to the ceiling. The workers got too close to the ceiling and the paint and the roofing material above it started bubbling, he said. There was some smoke in the building, but the building was only slightly damaged, officials said.
Fire department kept busy battling blazes
By Scott Dalton / Staff Writer October 15, 2002
A pair of blazes kept the Harwich Fire Department equipment rolling during the last week. Nobody was hurt in either fire. The first fire began Thursday afternoon at Handler’s Auto Parts on Route 28 in Harwich Port. Fire Chief Robert Peterson said an employee accidentally started the fire while involved in a salvage operation. “He was cutting a gasoline tank,” he said. “The cutting torch was too close to a flammable substance. It ignited the cars, which in turn, ignited the building.” Peterson said that firefighters used foam to control the blaze, which was put out in approximately 30 minutes. He said the department used an extra degree of caution because of the surroundings. “A junkyard situation is a little different,” Peterson said, citing the presence of oil and gasoline among other potentially dangerous fluids. “We were very cautious. It can be explosive and they are definitely flammable.” Peterson said the Handler’s case has been closed and that there are no intentions to issue any citations at this time.
Tire inferno called ‘environmental nightmare’
By Andrew Marra, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Monday, October 14, 2002
PORT ST. LUCIE — A 25-foot-tall pile of shredded tires caught fire and burned for hours at the Florida Tire Recycling plant Sunday, the second blaze at the 34-acre complex in two weeks. A huge plume of smoke from the plant in western St. Lucie County could be seen as far as 50 miles away. Firefighters were called about 2:30 p.m. But four hours later, the fire at 9675 Range Line Road seemed to have grown. “This is going to be a long-term event,” said St. Lucie County Fire District Capt. Tom Whitley. “We will certainly be here through the night.” He estimated the fire covered more than an acre. The blaze was not threatening any nearby buildings, and there were no reported injuries. But Whitley said the environmental concerns were considerable. “This type of a fire is really an environmental nightmare to the air quality as well as the water runoff,” he said. “The concern that we have at this point is protecting the unburned piles.” A similar fire ignited Sept. 30 at the plant, which turns old tires into chips used for septic fill, highway asphalt, playground surfaces and fuel for power plants. Whitley said no official cause was ever found. Dave Quarterson, CEO of Florida Tire Recycling, said Sunday night he believed both fires were probably caused by sparks from a welder’s torch, used by a subcontractor to cut up scrap metal.
UPDATE, Water workers may have sparked devastating fire
October 9 2002
A spark from power tools used by Sydney Water maintenance workers may be to blame for a savage bushfire that razed 10 homes and severely damaged 11 others in Sydney’s south. Sydney Water, which has launched its own investigation into the maintenance crew and its activities, said it would compensate families if it was found to be at fault. But that would have provided cold comfort to the 10 families who spent the night in local motels or at the Engadine RSL after their homes were reduced to ashes. It is believed the maintenance workers were using grinders or some other power tool to repair leaks on the Woronora Water Pipeline, when the fire broke out yesterday afternoon. The crew tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the blaze near them, but were forced to evacuate the area when it took hold. Sydney Water acting managing director Ron Quill said given its crew was first to detect the fire, the company had a role to play in the investigations and would conduct its own review. “This will be provided to the investigators as soon as possible,” he said in a statement. “It would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation. “Should however it be found that Sydney Water was at fault, we will ensure that people are compensated.” The Rural Fire Service today ruled out the main natural cause of bushfires, namely lightning strikes, saying the blaze was either deliberately or accidentally lit. A spokesman for Sydney Water refused to elaborate on what crew members had told them, saying the statement was in response to accusations levelled at Sydney Water by an Engadine resident. He said Sydney Water hoped to have its investigation completed by the end of the week to forward to fire investigators. The revelation came as firefighters continued to battle to keep containment lines in place at some of the 80 fires raging across NSW. The Rural Fire Service (RFS), NSW Fire Brigades and the police force were expected to return to Engadine early today to gather evidence and determine the exact cause of the fire. A police spokeswoman said Strikeforce Toronto, formed last year following a spate of arson attacks that led to the Christmas bushfire crisis, would be reactivated today to investigate the latest fires, including the one at Engadine. RFS spokesman John Winter said conditions were expected to ease today with temperatures dropping to the 20s and humidity rising. While there was no doubt NSW faced a long, hot and dry summer due to the drought gripping most of the nation, crews were expected to gain the upper hand in the next 48 hours.
Bergenline fire uproots families
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
By Michaelangelo Conte, Journal staff writer
UNION CITY – A four-alarm fire left about a dozen families temporarily homeless yesterday and three firefighters injured, with one hospitalized for smoke inhalation, officials said. Firefighters responding to the corner of Bergenline Avenue and Sixth Street at 11:22 a.m., found fire breaking through the roof between the corner building and an attached structure, said North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo. The corner three-story building, which has an automotive shop on the ground floor and apartments above, as well as an attached two-story apartment building, were both evacuated, said Avillo. Within a half-hour, three additional alarms had been called, he added. Avillo said an employee of the auto shop was welding a metal awning to the side of the building yesterday and the heat from the tool likely conducted through the building siding, igniting the wood framing beneath it. The fire then traveled up through the wall and burst through the roof at the cornice level of the two-story building, Avillo said. Martha Estevez, who lives a few doors down on Bergenline, said she heard the landlord of the building where the fire originated yelling for water. “I looked out (the window) and saw he had a hose and was spraying water on the fire so I got dressed and got out of my apartment,” said Estevez, who waited beyond the safety tape with those who could not return to their homes. The additional alarms were called because a large number of firefighters were needed to open building walls and ceilings to access the blaze and extinguish it, Avillo said. Officials were also concerned the fire would spread to the row of attached buildings. One firefighter was treated at the scene after getting debris in his eye and another for exhaustion, officials said. Battalion Chief Richard LaTerra suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken to Palisades General Hospital in North Bergen where he was admitted, according to Avillo. The two corner buildings suffered fire, smoke and water damage, and although they are salvageable, residents could not return to their homes last night, Avillo said.
Small fire prompts evacuation of Marriott
By News-Sentinel staff
October 8, 2002
The Marriott hotel in downtown Knoxville was evacuated this afternoon after what authorities believed to have been a welding accident caused a small fire. Hotel employees mistook the fire for an explosion, authorities said. The Knoxville Fire Department responded to the hotel on Hill Avenue about 2:30 p.m. and found a small fire in the basement, according to Fire Department spokesman Charlie Barker. Barker said that hotel officials claimed an explosion occurred in the basement. However, fire investigators were unable to find any evidence of an explosion. KUB officials were called in to check the circuit boxes and found everything in working condition. The small fire did disrupt business at the hotel as roughly 75 guests were evacuated as well as the hotel’s management and staff. Arson investigators are still looking into the incident.
Welders ignite $25,000 apartment blaze
By staff reports
A welding crew accidentally ignited part of a Moorpark apartment building Thursday while attaching new supports to a staircase, according to Ventura County Fire Department officials. The 5 p.m. fire scorched part of the eight-unit building, on the 600 block of New Los Angeles Avenue, forcing residents to evacuate. Three fire engines and a support crew put out the fire within minutes. The crew was reinforcing the stairway in the two-story building when flames from their welding equipment ignited combustible construction materials on the structure, officials said. Investigators said the damage included $20,000 to the structure and $5,000 in contents. No tenants were displaced and no injuries were reported.
Northern Maine potato sheds burned by wind-fed fire
PRESQUE ISLE (AP) — A fire heavily damaged two potato-storage buildings in northern Maine. Officials say the fire at the Cavendish Farms sheds in Presque Isle was started by sparks or hot metal from a welding operation under way at the time. About three dozen firefighters were called to the fire late Wednesday morning. Presque Isle Deputy Fire Chief Darrell White says the fire started when a spark or hot metal dropped into foam insulation in a loading dock area where the two Quonset hut-style buildings are connected. Wind passing through the 300-foot-long buildings fanned the flames. Some machinery and about 80-hundredweight of potatoes were lost. About 15 people working in the buildings got out in time, and one worker suffered smoke inhalation.
Thousands of chickens die in Bendigo fire
About 20,000 chickens have died after a fire this afternoon at a chicken farm west of Bendigo, Victoria. The fire at Hazeldenes Chicken Farm at Marong destroyed a large empty breeder shed. Firefighters stopped the blaze spreading to a neighbouring shed, but 20,000 chickens in the building died from heat and smoke inhalation. The Country Fire Authority’s Peter Philip says it is believed a spark from a welding tool caused the fire. He says it is an appropriate reminder about the dangers of using tools and farm machinery in warm weather. “Particularly at the moment where the country has dried off…. sparks from tools or tractors can easily start a fire and if there’s a bit of wind around, particularly in grass, the fire will travel very very quickly,” he said.
UPDATE, Damages total at least $50,000 in shop fire
By REED WILLIAMS / Daily Progress staff writer
A fire that caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to an auto repair shop Monday in Albemarle County may have been started by a cutting torch mechanics were using, a fire investigator said. Employees of Greenbrier Service Center & U-Haul off East Rio Road were working on a Toyota’s exhaust pipe when someone smelled gas fumes, said Garry Hicks, who owns the business. “I was in the office when these boys started hollering,” Hicks said Monday afternoon, as he stood watching firefighters finish extinguishing the blaze. “It just ignited around the floor,” he added. “By the time we grabbed fire extinguishers and started hitting it, it ran right up the wall.” Hicks pointed toward a damaged Sprint van in one of the building’s three bays and said: “That van’s history.” The fire also blew out some of the bay windows, he said. Hicks said the fire caused between $50,000 and $60,000 in damage to the building and equipment. That figure does not include the van. He added that the building is insured. No one was injured in the fire. Firefighters received the emergency call at about 1:20 p.m. and arrived on scene in about two minutes, said James F. Barber, county fire investigator. Firefighters from Charlottesville, Earlysville and Seminole Trail departments responded, as did county Fire-Rescue personnel. Hicks said he has done business in the area since 1981 and never experienced an accident like Monday’s. “I’ve never had this happen,” he said. “Not in 21 years of business.”
Fire damages Union-Tribune pressroom; no delays seen
UNION-TRIBUNE and SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES
MISSION VALLEY – Monday’s San Diego Union-Tribune will be delivered on time, despite a fire in one of the printing presses that prompted a one-hour evacuation of the building Sunday morning, a newspaper editor said. The fire in one of four presses that prints the daily newspaper sent smoke spewing through the Union-Tribune building’s third floor about 11:30 a.m. The fire at 350 Camino de la Reina was contained within 20 minutes by cascades of water from the building’s fire prevention sprinkler system, a San Diego fire dispatcher said. Workers continued to mop up the water in the printing press room this afternoon, said Leslie Wolf Branscomb, Sunday metro editor for the Union-Tribune. “One of our printing presses went up in flames, but we still have three presses in operation,” Branscomb said. “The Monday paper isn’t that large and we won’t have any delays in delivering it.” A Union-Tribune spokesman said in a statement: “Late this morning, a spark from a welder’s torch ignited a small fire in the pressroom of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Employees evacuated the pressroom building, and the neighboring administrative building as a precaution, upon the start of the sprinkler system. All employees exited both buildings safely; there were no injuries. “Firefighters, who were alerted by the building’s alarm system, contained and doused the fire. There was some water damage to press paper and one press machine. We will increase the volume on our other presses to ensure timely delivery of tomorrow’s newspaper.”
UPDATE, Worker dies from injuries after being burned from explosion
BLOOMINGTON – A 39-year-old Bloomington man died late Thursday from burns he suffered the day before in an explosion, San Bernardino County Supervising Deputy Coroner Randy Emon said. Authorities say Earl Bennett was using an arc welder on a diesel tank at his business in the 9600 block of Larch Street when the tank exploded about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday. Bennett was taken by ambulance to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he was admitted with third-degree burns over 70 per cent of his body. He was pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m. Thursday night, Emon said. The San Bernardino County Fire Department is investigating the incident.
Capital school destroyed in massive blaze
By BRIAN FERGUSON and MARK SMITH
A HUGE fire destroyed a school which was to house 60 problem pupils in a blaze believed to have been started by sparks from a workman’s tools. One firefighter was injured by falling masonry as he helped tackle the blaze at the former North Merchiston Primary building yesterday. The building was being demolished today as a result of damage caused by the fire, which took place as workmen were carrying out a £1.9m refit to create a special school for troubled teenagers. The blaze sent flames shooting 40ft into the air and smoke billowing across the surrounding area creating chaos in the Polwarth and Merchiston areas. The roads surrounding the building remained closed this morning as the demolition got underway. More than 35 firefighters worked into the night to tackle the fire which was initially so fierce that they could not enter the building on West Bryson Road. Several residents had to be evacuated and more than 100 onlookers had to be kept well clear of the building by police officers after the blaze took hld around 3pm. An official investigation is underway, but it is thought the blaze was caused by a workman using an angle grinder, which was letting off sparks. Workers preparing the site for former pupils from Canonmills and Cairnpark special schools to move in next year fled the scene and raised the alarm after fire took hold in the building’s east wing roof. The new school – which was set to cater for teenagers with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties – had been used for the last three years as an annexe of St Thomas of Aquin’s High, which has just opened a new £14 million building. Cormac Moore, 27, from nearby Watson Crescent, told how heat from the fire left the windows of his flat burning hot. He said: “At the height of the fire there were flames leaping about 40 feet into the air. “The roof caved in at one point as well, sending smoke high into the sky. Although I live about 75 metres from the house, the windows of the house were burning hot. The fire was so intense it was heating up the whole flat. It was like an oven.” Three men working on the site were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary suffering from shock. The firefighter taken to the hospital was thought to have suffered injuries to his arms after the roof collapse. He was recovering at home today after being treated at hospital. Police Superintendent Stephen Harvey said: “We got the call just after 3pm and the building was apparently well alight when we got here. “The early indications are that one of the workmen carrying out renovations on the site has been using electrical equipment which was giving off sparks and that’s what caused the fire to start.” Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade officer, John Wynn, said six fire engines had been required to tackle the blaze. He added: “There was no danger to any members of the public but because it was such a big fire it was far too dangerous for any firefighters to be in the building so we had to tackle it from the outside. The building was in the process of being developed by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership, as part of a private public finance initiative with Edinburgh City Council. Work has just started in recent weeks. Martin Watson, general manager of the Edinburgh Schools Partnership, said: “All personnel involved in the refurbishment work have been accounted for and no injures have been reported.”
Man critically burned while welding a tank
By JOE NELSON, Staff Writer
BL OOMINGTON A man was critically burned over 70 percent of his body Wednesday when his welding torch ignited a flash fire, officials said. Scotty Bennett, 39, of Bloomington was welding a diesel tank at Bennett’s Radiator Service in the 9600 block of South Larch Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. when a spark ignited diesel fumes from the tank, said Bob Mendez, a fire investigator for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Bennett was rushed to the Inland Counties Burn Center at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, and was listed in critical condition Wednesday, hospital spokesman Jorge Valencia said. Firefighters were called to the family-owned radiator shop about 2:40 p.m., where they found Bennett laying outside and fellow employees dousing him with water, said Capt. Ken Munsey of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Bennett suffered second and third degree burns from his head to his knees. “His skin was sloughing off, and he had some respiratory compromise,’ said Jade Morgan, a county firefighter and paramedic. Joyce Witt, 45, who lives across the street from the shop, said she was inside her house when she heard an explosion. She ran outside and saw Bennett, flames shooting from his body, running out. Then she heard another explosion. “Scotty was running out, in flames,’ said Witt, choking back tears. “I ran over there and yelled, ‘Scotty,’ and he was burning.’ Bennett’s grandmother, Mildred Bennett, 87, sat with Witt in front of a house across the street from the radiator shop, watching firefighters. Her knee bobbed rapidly under a pink floral dress. Witt clutched her hand. Both worried. Both cried. “Scotty’s such a good kid,’ Mildred Bennett said. “I’m worried about Scotty.’
UPDATE, WCL ceases cylinder welding
By Barbara Martin
Canadian National Railroad has instructed its employees to cease welding on the type of cylinder involved in last week’s explosion until a federal investigation into the incident is complete. Investigators were on the scene of Wisconsin Central Ltd. shop known as “round house” at 2201 Monroe St. immediately after the Sept. 19 explosion that killed 44-year-old Kerry C. Lutz of Stevens Point and injured 34-year-old James Williams, 4101 Hoover Ave., Apt. 4, , said Jack Burke, railroad spokesman. Williams has been released from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, where he was transferred after being treated at St. Michael’s Hospital. Williams said Thursday his facial injuries include some missing teeth and broken bones. Investigators shipped items involved in the explosion, including a cylinder, to a scientific lab for study, Burke said. “It will be thorough,” Burke said of the investigation. Lutz and Williams were attempting to weld a broken cylinder when the accident occurred. The cylinder uses air pressure to tilt the body of rail cars that carry ballast, crushed rock or gravel used between railroad ties, Burke said. The cylinder works off of the train’s air system, he said. The company has decided that welding on this type of cylinder should be “halted until we get to the bottom of the incident,” Burke said.
Blast rocks biz; Worker survives explosion
By KATIE CHALMERS, STAFF REPORTER
An explosion at a dust-control business shook up residents near Selkirk and sent one worker to hospital. “It was a thunderous boom. I ran out to see what happened,” said Grant Jehle, owner of dust-control company Fort Distributors Ltd., at McPhillips Road and Highway 67, about four kilometres southwest of Selkirk. “I made sure my employee was all right. There was a lot of black smoke bellowing up into the air.” The worker was cleaning out a tank about 9:45 a.m. yesterday when some residual oil inside ignited, creating an explosion that popped the lid off and sent it flying 200 metres. Flames spread to a nearby machine shop, burning the building to the ground. Nobody was inside the building, which housed welding equipment. The employee was taken to Selkirk and District Hospital with burns and was later transferred to Health Sciences Centre, said Selkirk RCMP Const. Jeff Moyse. The man remained in stable condition late yesterday afternoon. “He’s a long-standing employee — for about 12 years. He’s certainly like family to us,” said Jehle. “Our thoughts are with him right now.” ‘Feel the heat’ RCMP believe the worker was welding and triggered the blast. “You could feel the heat right across the highway,” said Scott Pawluk, a St. Andrews resident who drove by shortly after the explosion. Environment officials and a hazardous material team were on scene to assess any potential environmental dangers. There were five tanks nearby storing a magnesium chloride dust-control chemical, which did not ignite. There were no other injuries, and no nearby residents were evacuated, Moyse said. “We set up a perimeter to make sure there wasn’t a problem. It was simply a precaution,” he said. Jehle said the dust-control chemicals, which he described as environmentally friendly, presented no real threat. “It is essentially a derivative of sea water,” he said. “It’s like trying to ignite water.” Jehle tried to battle the blaze as it ripped through the machine shop with a tanker on site until the St. Andrews fire department arrived. “I hought two semis collided at the corner,” said resident Robert Ebbinghaus. Damage to Jehle’s property was still being tallied last night.
Local firefighters battled a blaze for about nine hours, but failed to save a Middlesex Township house Sept. 12.
The fire was sparked just before 3 p.m. in the basement by a contractor installing a geo-thermal heating system in the Logan Road home owned by Ed Ferree, said Dave Van Atta, Middlesex Township fire chief, adding a blowtorch had ignited some chemicals. “It was purely accidental,” he said. Ferree and his wife were home at the time of the fire. All escaped unharmed. A dozen crews from Butler and Allegheny counties worked hard to save the home, but realized it would be a total loss sometime in the early evening, said Van Atta. “It was a hard fought battle,” he said. A third alarm was needed to bring enough personnel to the scene, as most volunteers were at work when the fire erupted.
Chicago Store To Reopen After Rooftop Fire
Several propane tanks atop the Carson Pirie Scott department store in the Loop exploded as workers were pouring tar late Monday (9/23/2002) night, sending smoke and flames billowing from the roof but damaging only some offices on the top floor of the historic building before the fire was extinguished. Several offices on the top, 15th floor of the building at 1 S. State St. sustained heavy water infiltration, but the store itself was not damaged and was to open for business as usual at 9:45 a.m., officials said. Explosions lit up the sky, showered the street with flaming debris and caused many residents of the nearby Palmer House Hilton at 17 E. Monroe St. to leave the hotel. For a while this morning, the Chicago Transit Authority halted elevated trains running past the site. Fire Commissioner James Joyce said the fire began around 11:26 p.m. Monday and was under control at 12:43 a.m. today. Its cause remains unknown, though fire officials are calling it an accident. Seven workers were on the roof at the time of the explosions, said Dave Scalf, who identified himself as one of the workers. They were pouring a kettle of tar, he said, when “part of it flashed,” possibly setting off explosions in nearby propane tanks. “There were 11 propane tanks on the roof of the building, and at least five of them have exploded,” said Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Robert Ambos. Firefighters said the fire burned an area 75 feet by 100 feet on the southeast side of the building. As a precaution, the Fire Department sent five ambulances to the scene and called a hazardous material emergency because of the propane tanks. At the height of the explosions, debris fell onto State Street and the blasts broke windows at the nearby Palmer House. Witness Joe Crosthwaite was at street level and said some people thought the building itself was exploding. “It kind of sounded like Fourth of July fireworks,” Crosthwaite said. “It kind of left me deaf a little bit.” A Palmer House security guard, Mark Heflin, said there was no official evacuation of the hotel, but some people left the building. About 200 School of the Art Institute of Chicago students exited their State Street dormitory building, some of them standing in the street in their nightclothes.
Texas man killed in DeRidder welding explosion
The Associated Press
DERIDDER, La. (AP) – A leaky welding hose caused an explosion which blew out the side of a work trailer outside a fertilizer plant Monday, killing one man and injuring another, police said. Victor Alaminski, 23, of Mexia, Texas, was killed, and another man suffered minor injuries in the explosion outside O’Neal Feeders Supply Inc., DeRidder police said. Both worked for Allen Foster Enterprises, a sub-contractor out of Allen, Texas, and were cutting metal for build grain bins when the explosion blasted out two 3-foot metal doors from a work trailer. The leaking hose was in a door in the trailer next to where Alaminski was working, Detective Kenneth Pine said. One door hit Alaminski. The other hurtled about 100 yards across a field and into woods where it hit a tree about 7 feet from the ground, Pine said. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators cordoned off the accident site; O’Neal Feeders employees were not affected.
UPDATE, Koch fire victim transferred
By: Scott Fitzgerald, Staff Writer
A Drummond man who suffered second-degree burns to much of his hands in an flash fire at Koch Hydrocarbon plant south of Medford was transferred to Integris Baptist Medical Center’s burn center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Hamm & Phillips Service Co. employee Clifford Johnson, 40, was listed in fair condition, said Damon Gardenhire, center spokesman. Gardenhire reported medical conditions for three men taken to the hospital’s burn center on Monday remain unchanged. Each worked for Gonzales Muffler Shop, a welding company in Medford. The men were injured in a flash fire at the plant Monday. Diego Herrera, 33, suffered second- and third-degree burns over 15 to 20 percent of his body and smoke inhalation. He remained in critical condition Tuesday. Christopher Callager, 34, suffered second- and third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body and was in serious condition. Hipolito Velasquez, 51, suffered burn injuries and was in serious condition. Koch spokeswoman Mary Beth Jarvis, in Wichita, Kan., said the flash fire that occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Monday in the plant’s central area – where raw natural gas is processed to remove impurities – was brief. Jarvis said Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were conducting an investigation. The four men injured in the flash fire were contract employees and were working on a vessel pipe connector that was out-of-service. How the fire ignited still was being determined Tuesday, Jarvis said. Spokesman Jim Palmer of Oklahoma Corporation Commission said officials with the state regulatory agency determined the commission did not have jurisdiction to conduct an investigation because the fire occurred somewhere in the processing stage. “We have jurisdiction over gas storage sites and where there is an injection of (salt) brine, for example. We will, of course, be interested in the results,” Palmer said. Palmer said he talked with Koch plant manager Randy Kooiman on Tuesday and Koch officials determined the injured men were working on a gasoline treating vessel with a hot oiler, which shoots hot water to break wax buildup. Propane was being used in the maintenance job, Palmer said. Kooiman declined to comment and referred all inquiries to Jarvis.
Fire strikes Enka plant
By Jennifer Brevorka
ENKA – Workers dismantling machinery at the BASF plant ignited a fire Tuesday in an area no longer in use. No one was hurt in the fire, which began about 10:35 a.m. in the cooling plant. Workers with welding torches accidentally dropped a hot piece of metal onto rotting wood. The timber quickly caught fire and workers were unable to extinguish the blaze with nearby fire extinguishers, said Kelley Webb, assistant fire marshal for the Asheville Fire Department. The Asheville Fire Department, Enka-Candler Fire Department, Skyland Fire Department, regional response hazardous materials team, area police and the Buncombe County Arson Task Force were called to the structure fire, Webb said. BASF is a tenant at the textile facility owned by Colbond Inc., site manager Rick Roberson said. The water tower is near the facility’s power plant and between several buildings. “The cooling tower that was set on fire is no longer in use, and is actually being demolished,” Roberson said. “Thankfully, fire crews responded quickly and the blaze did not spread to other working parts of the plant.” The fire was contained within 20 minutes and no workers were forced to evacuate, Webb said. But, investigators were concerned about hazardous materials located near the cooling tower. “There were trucks with the chemical caprolactam located nearby the cooling tower that was on fire,” Webb said. “Our first concern was that the chemical was actually in the plant, but it turned out since the tower was no longer in use, the caprolactam were not inside where the blaze was located.” Although the structure fire did not involve hazardous materials, fire crews still underwent a decontamination process after they extinguished the fire to ensure their safety, Webb said.
Welding fire destroys shed, bus
By BETH IPSEN, Staff Writer
A fire that started when sparks from a welding torch ignited foam insulation destroyed a work shed and gutted a bus in South Fairbanks Friday afternoon. Larry Dickman said he was welding something right outside the shop’s door when sparks started the fire shortly before 1 p.m. Since he didn’t know the property was located within the University Fire Department’s fire service area, he didn’t call 911. The property is on the fringe of the fire service area. John Sawicki and Mike Herrman, who were working at businesses nearby, said they spotted the smoke and called 911. Sawicki drove to the gravel airstrip located off Tibor Street south of Van Horn Road and saw the shed on fire. He drove back to Great Northwest Inc. on Van Horn Road, called 911 and returned with a 2,500 gallon Hydro-seeder tank full of water and started hosing down the fire, which had spread through the shed and was licking two fuel tanks there. “I tried to keep the fire from catching the fuel tank on fire,” Sawicki said. Meanwhile, the flames jumped to a bus parked nearby. An earlier call to the fire department might have kept that from happening, Herrman said. “If he had the truck here earlier, he would have saved the bus,” Herrman said. Dickman said he bought the bus two years ago and was equipping it with the idea of using it as a recreational vehicle, but Friday’s fire changed his mind for him. Firefighters did arrive in time to move Dickman’s airplane as smoke and flames threatened it. The fire gutted the bus, leveled the 24-foot by 14-foot shed Dickman has worked out of for the past three years and destroyed his tools. The two fuel tanks remained intact. University firefighters worked for about 30 minutes to put out the fire while thick, dark smoke billowed out of the bus and from nearby tires. Amid the smoke, a small plane landed and another took off from the airstrip near where the shed was located. Dickman, who watched firefighters from his truck, didn’t have an estimated value of what was lost in the fire. He does not own the property.
Investigators seek cause of explosion; One dies, one hurt in railroad yard
By Barbara Martin Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
STEVENS POINT – Federal officials are investigating an explosion that killed one Stevens Point man and injured another at the Canadian National Railroad yard Thursday. The accident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. in a roundhouse in the Stevens Point yard, where the workers were making repairs to rail cars. According to the Stevens Point Police Department, the men were attempting to weld a broken air cylinder when the accident occurred. Kerry C. Lutz, 44, of Stevens Point was pronounced dead at the scene. Another employee, 34-year-old James Williams of Stevens Point was treated for head and facial injuries and taken to St. Michael’s Hospital in Stevens Point. He later was transferred to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield. A hospital spokesman would not reveal his condition. The railroad shops were closed immediately following the accident, said Jack Burke, a Chicago-based spokesman with the Canadian National Railroad. Counselors were on hand to help employees deal with their shock and grief, he said. The Stevens Point facility employs 47 workers, who staff the facility 24 hours a day, he said. Such accidents are uncommon in the railroad industry, Burke said. It had been more than a year since there was an accident with injuries at the Stevens Point facility, and this was the first fatality for the company this year, Burke said. The railroad has operations across Canada and in 15 U.S. states, has 18,000 miles of track and employs 22,000 workers, he said. Emergency crews arriving on the scene found no evidence of fire, said Capt. John Zinda of the Stevens Point Fire Department. Williams was able to walk when paramedics arrived, he said. No one witnessed the accident, and the investigation continues, authorities said. The police department contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate. The Federal Railroad Administration likely will investigate, Burke said. “In any sort of accident, we have more motivation than anybody to get to the bottom of it” and to ensure that future accidents are avoided, Burke said.
Welder at quarry likely electrocuted
Mine inspectors are investigating the death of the 43-year-old man at Plaza Materials in Zephyrhills.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD, St. Petersburg Times
ZEPHYRHILLS — A welder at a Zephyrhills quarry died about 7 p.m. Monday, apparently the victim of electrocution, authorities said. Leon R. Davison, 43, of 2625 Corvilla Drive in Zephyrhills was working on a 20-foot-high platform at Plaza Materials, south of Chancey Road, when co-workers saw sparks fly and heard Davison call out one of their names, according to Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reports. Davison’s stepfather, Robert Weber of Cape Vincent, N.Y., described Davison as a single father whose life revolved around his 14-year-old daughter, Michelle Lee. “He was pretty wrapped up in his daughter and his job,” Weber said Tuesday. Lane Lohmayer, another worker at the quarry, and Donald Thomas, the night shift supervisor, told officials they went to the conveyor belt where Davison had been working Monday evening and found him lying on his back with welding equipment against his chest. Lohmayer told deputies he pulled the equipment away from Davison and found a faint pulse. Lohmayer told authorities that he wnt to call 911, and Thomas remained with Davison, but when he returned, Davison had no pulse. Davison was pronounced dead by paramedics at 7:07 p.m. at the scene. According to the reports, he had two burn marks, one on his chest and one on his back. The burn on Davison’s chest matched a metal strap attached to the metal he was lying on, the reports said. He was apparently electrocuted while lying on the decking, the report said. Leroy Ford, a mine inspector with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, went to the scene Monday night. He said the agency, which has jurisdiction because Plaza Materials operates a quarry, is continuing to investigate. Ford said a team of investigators has been brought in from out of state. General manager Dain Williams of Plaza Materials, located at 41150 Yonkers Blvd., declined to comment. Davison moved to Zephyrhills about three years ago from upstate New York, where he grew up. His stepfather said he came to Florida for the mild winters and better job market. Weber said Michelle called Monday night with the news of her father’s death. “Michelle is pretty broke up,” Weber said. “She’s taking it pretty hard. She’s going to miss her father.” Weber said Michelle is now staying at her mother’s in Zephyrhills. In addition to his daughter, Davison is survived by his mother, Alberta Weber, and a sister, Valerie Claflin, 41, of Black River, N.Y. The Webers, who live in Clearwater during the winters, last saw Davison in April before they returned to New York for the summer.
Barge fire threatens dock
By Matt Johnson
It started as a tiny puff of smoke. A couple of hours after the last of the welders and metal cutters working for a marine contractor had left for dinner Thursday night, a smouldering fire aboard a barge became a drifting inferno that threatened to burn the Clinton ferry dock. It took a response from all South Whidbey’s fire companies, North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, the Chief Seattle fireboat, two Washington State Ferries boats and crews, and a plucky little tugboat, which all worked until about midnight to control the blaze that, despite its ferocity, did almost no material damage. At about 7:30 p.m., firefighters from Fire District 3 were called to the site of the fire, a 170-foot barge moored just off Brighton Beach, about a quarter mile away from the Clinton dock. Out of range of the firefighters and their trucks and hoses, the fire grew until the entire barge and another 70-foot barge lashed to it were engulfed in flames. The vessel’s loads of creosote-soaked timbers and straw bales burned hot and with an inky black smoke. As more and more firefighters arrived, the blaze became a curiosity for beach residents. But as the last light faded from the evening sky, the fire burned through the barge mooring ropes and set the barges adrift. That’s when fire Captain Eldon Baker, who was the duty chief for FD 3 Thursday night, got worried. “We didn’t know what was going on at first,” he said. Baker and other FD3 firefighters thought they could fight the barge fire by putting a fire truck aboard a ferry and sailing to where the barge was anchored. When the barges broke loose and started drifting down the beach toward the ferry dock, that was no longer an option. “There went Plan A, so we went to Plan B,” Baker said. Plan B involved two employees from Manson Construction, which is building the ferry dock, and the company’s tugboat, which was stationed at the dock. Baker said the two men, who had little training in operating the tug, maneuvered it close to the burning barges, hooked up a tow rope and started pulling. Though hampered by an incoming tide, unfavorable winds and a close call with the ferry dock, the tug pulled the barges into Saratoga Passage, though not before the barge had drifted close to Brighton Beach homes and forced an evacuation of the area. Over the next hour, fireboats from various agencies converged on the scene to help douse the flames. Also helping were the crews of the two ferryboats on the Clinton-Mukilteo run, which were freed up to help after ferry service was suspended at 8 p.m. Armed with water-pumping facilities and fire- fighting foam aboard the boats, the WSF crews were a crucial part of the firefighting effort. “We were real proud of our crews,” said Susan Harris, a spokeswoman for the ferry system. Missing from the response was the Coast Guard. According to FD 3 Special Services Battalion Chief Darin Reid, the guard was engaged in a search and rescue operation at the time and was unable to send a fireboat. The only boat FD3 could use in the operation was a 15-foot inflatable motorboat, which patrolled the area all night in case any firefighters fell overboard. Baker said he was quickly able to determine a potential cause for the blaze. He said welding and cutting aboard the barges earlier in the day probably sparked a small fire that grew after quitting time. The barges, which are used at the dock during the work day, were anchored down the beach in case of fire. Damage to the steel barges was minimal. No other property damaged resulted from the fire, Baker said. The fire and suspension of ferry service did cause traffic to back up substantially in Mukilteo. Harris said that although service resumed at 11:30 p.m., WSF had to keep one boat running beyond its usually quitting time to accommodate the waiting line of drivers. Cleanup of the fire is being done by Manson Construction, according to Baker. Company officials did not answer inquiries about the fire by press time Friday afternoon.
Worker lands on next block in fatal blast
By S.K. BARDWELL, Houston Chronicle
An employee at a grease processing plant was killed Tuesday when a two-story tank he was trying to cool exploded, sending him soaring into the next block. Richard Anton Bajenski, 40, was killed in the accident that occurred just before 9 a.m. at GTM Waste Processing Inc., 6407 Hurst. The company recycles cooking grease. One employee was welding at the bottom of the tank, which was filled with cooking grease. Bajenski was atop the tank applying water to cool the container, said Mark Donovan, senior captain with the Houston Fire Department. A GTM spokeswoman said Tuesday afternoon the company had no statement to make about the death. The employee landed in the parking lot at Seatex, 6325 Hurst, where an employee who declined to give his name said workers called 911, but initially had no idea what had happened. The welder working at the bottom of the tank was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital to be treated for shock. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation Tuesday.
Georgia Industrial Fire Contained Quickly
There was plenty of smoke but little damage from a fire Tuesday (9/3/2002) at Chemical Products Corp. on Old Mill Road in Cartersville. The fire was contained 45 minutes after it started with only minor damage to the building, according to CPC Technical Director Jerry Cook. The fire began when a worker switched on a breaker around 3 p.m., generating a spark that ignited a powder stored and processed in the building, Cook said. The fire sent billows of smoke into the air above it. The powder, stored in bags, is processed at the building into a slurry that is used in making paper, Cook said. The slurry is then sold to companies who use it as a catalyst in making paper. The fire started in the control center and ignited several bags of the powder. The result was a thick cloud of smoke that hovered over the building for the rest of the afternoon. Three fire engines from the Bartow County Fire Dept. responded and began dousing the fire.
Small blaze forces evacuation of Federal Building
DAMAGE: Welders working on remodel may have started fire.
Daily News Staff
A small fire late Wednesday afternoon in the Federal Building in downtown Anchorage forced an evacuation of employees and caused about $15,000 in damage, the Anchorage Fire Department said Thursday. The probable cause appeared to be welders working on an extensive remodeling project at the building, on West Seventh Avenue, said Fire Department spokesman Tom Kempton. Investigators found that welding slag, or molten metal, had dripped through a crack along a wall that extended down a few floors onto windows overlooking the central atrium, the agency said. Firefighters arrived at 5:25 p.m. to find the fire between the fourth and fifth floors. There was some charring on the roof and on panels between the walls, Kempton said. “But the fire was not large enough to set off the sprinkler system,” he said. “There was a substantial amount of smoke, so they did evacuate the building. Though most employees had left for the day, many remained and had to wait outside the building before they could retrieve their vehicles in the building garage, Kempton said. The ventilation system, which automatically shut off in response to the fire, had to be turned on so the smoke could be vented, he said. Firefighters used a minimum amount of water to douse smoldering plywood and used Visqueen to minimize water damage, Kempton said. The number of employees evacuated and information on what precisely was damaged were unavailable Thursday. Building maintenance workers, employees of the federal General Services Administration that manages the building, would not answer questions. Eight units responded to the fire, including a truck company, a paramedic unit and a battalion chief, Kempton said. No one was injured.
UPDATE, State alleges safety violations in gas explosion
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gas Energy has been accused of violating three safety rules in a natural gas explosion that injured two contract workers in Kansas City last year. A complaint filed Thursday by state utility regulators seeks permission to take MGE to court, where a judge could fine and penalize the natural gas company. The allegations stem from a Dec. 10 explosion in an underground natural gas pipeline vault — a space containing pipelines, valves and regulating equipment. The explosion injured two contract workers for Midwest Gunite and Restoration, who were removing concrete forms from the newly installed vault doors. Both workers suffered burns, and one had broken bones. A report released Thursday by staff for the Missouri Public Service Commission concluded that the explosion was caused when an impact wrench ignited natural gas that had leaked into the vault. The gas remained trapped in the vault partly because workers had covered most of the opening with plywood, the report said. Workers had not tested the vault for gas before entering it — a violation of a state rule requiring gas companies to take steps to reduce the chance of an accidental explosion, the report said. The PSC staff also accused MGE of not providing proper instruction and supervision and to the contract employees — violating one state rule requiring training and another requiring companies to ensure that contract work meets safety requirements. Missouri Gas Energy serves about 500,000 customers in the Kansas City area and western Missouri, including the city of Neosho. A spokesman for the company said he had not seen the complaint and had no comment. The staff complaint alleging violations is to go before the full Public Service Commission, which would decide whether to refer the case to a circuit court to seek penalties against MGE. Fines could range from $100 to $2,000 for each of the three alleged violations, said Bob Leonberger, who heads the PSC’s natural gas pipeline safety program. The case also could be settled before the court, or even before the PSC holds a hearing, he said. In such scenarios, “the operators usually would take measures to train people and make sure this stuff does not happen again,” Leonberger said. “We’re more interested in safety and making sure this doesn’t happen again” than in fining companies. Any fines against utility companies go to the state’s public school fund.
Flashback on compressed gas cylinder causes major incident
A major incident resulted from an accident in a Paisley garage when a flashback and fire rendered compressed gas cylinders unstable. A mechanic was injured when one acetylene cylinder caught fire while using cutting equipment. The ensuing major operation to clear a 200 metre exclusion zone surrounding the Underwood Road premises involved the evacuation for over 24 hours of 130 houses, a matter that created an immediate logistical problem for Renfrewshire Council who had to accommodate the displaced persons. Major route train services between Glasgow and Inverclyde/ Ayrshire were suspended as were proceedings at the nearby Paisley Sheriff Court. Road closures affected traffic as far away as the Paisley town centre. According to a Strathclyde Fire Service spokesman: “There was a flashback which is a small explosion involving a leak of the gas coming into contact with the flame and the canister of acetylene caught alight. We are tackling this fire according to established procedure and have requested one of our scientific advisors to attend the scene to assess the situation.”
Small fire forces evacuation of downtown campus library; Welder’s spark ignites insulation in ceiling
BY JIM BISSETT, The Dominion Post
A small fire Tuesday morning at WVU’s downtown library complex forced an early checkout of 400 students and staffers. But the flames were quickly contained and no one was hurt during the evacuation. Firefighters believe an errant spark from a welder’s torch caused the fire that broke out in a recessed ceiling on the fourth floor of the $37 million, 124,000-square-foot facility that opened in January. Morgantown Fire Lt. Joe Lewis said a Turner Construction crew was working outside, grinding and welding the surface of metal plates outfitted for scaffolding during the bulk of the construction work. The Pittsburgh-based company is the principal contractor for the project. Turner officials weren’t immediately available for comment Tuesday. “They were welding when a spark somehow got in between the brick veneer and exterior drywall,” Lewis said of the 11 a.m. blaze. “It went into a recessed ceiling on the fourth floor and caught the 1-inch Styrofoam insulation on fire.” Lewis praised the work crew for quickly extinguishing the blaze. “I think they had it out in 10 minutes,” Lewis said of the crew that dropped its welding torches and picked up fire extinguishers to put out the blaze. “That’s a good job. I think we got there at 11:30 and it was out by then. Our job was just to check in the ceilings to make sure it hadn’t gotten anywhere else.” People were allowed back in the building at 11:40 a.m., around 30 minutes after the fire was discovered. Head access librarian Carroll Wilkinson praised the quick-thinking student who smelled smoke and immediately reported it to the staff. Wilkinson was at her post on the second floor, when the student, whose name she didn’t know, came down to tell her. “She said she could smell smoke coming through one of the vents,” said Wilkinson, who followed the student up to the fourth floor. “I couldn’t see any flames or smoke,” Wilkinson said, “but there was a definite smell of smoke in the air. You couldn’t miss that.” Wilkinson, called WVU’s Department of Public Safety, before pulling the alarm that summoned four Morgantown fire trucks, including a ladder truck, to the scene. Student Salwan Mashat was working at a computer when he overheard Wilkinson’s conversation. “She was telling somebody she was smelling smoke and that she was going to pull the alarm,” said Mashat, a freshman physics major from Morgantown. “The next thing I heard was the alarm and a voice over the loudspeaker telling us to leave. There wasn’t a whole lot to it. I guess that’s a good thing.”
Fire Breaks Out At Roosevelt Middle School
A student working on a welding project caused a fire at Oklahoma City’s Roosevelt Middle School Monday, investigators said. The fire broke out in the woodshop at the school, located at 3233 S.W. 44th Street. A spark from a student welding on a project apparently got caught in the dust collection system in the woodshop, Maj. Brian Stanaland of the Oklahoma City Fire Department said. “There was a student that was welding in the woodshop working on a project, and they had their dust collection system on that they normally utilize. A spark apparently got caught in the dust collection system that caught the dust collection system on fire,” he said. Firefighters were able to put the fire out with few difficulties. Because the fire broke out at about 4 p.m., there were no students in class at the time.
UPDATE, Delaware refinery blamed by board for fatal blast
Inspectors said Motiva could have prevented the explosion in which a Bucks man died. Motiva denied wrongdoing.
By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer
Federal safety inspectors blame the owner of a Delaware City, Del., refinery for a July 2001 tank explosion that killed a Bucks County man and injured eight others. Motiva Enterprises failed to fix holes in the tank of sulfuric acid and ignored its own employees’ warnings that the tank needed a thorough inspection, the government investigators said in a report to be issued today. The explosion might have been prevented had Motiva heeded the warnings, including one just three weeks before the blast, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. The safety board is to vote on the report today; The Inquirer obtained a copy of the executive summary in advance. It is one of several federal and state investigations into the blast, which killed Jeffrey Davis, 50, a boilermaker and father of five from Fairless Hills. His remains were never found, believed to have been consumed in the 1.1 million gallons of sulfuric acid that spilled from the exploded tank and other nearby tanks that were damaged in the explosion. Motiva, a joint venture of Shell Oil Co. U.S. and Saudi Refining Inc., both of Houston, has denied any negligence or wrongdoing. Motiva officials declined to comment in detail on the case yesterday, citing pending litigation, but said they had acted properly. “We disagree with any characterization that the inspection reports were not acted upon,” said Spiros Mantzavinos, a refinery spokesman. “We will carefully review their report and recommendations. Safety and environmental performance is our top priority.” In a separate report issued on Monday, a team of company management and union officials suggested that some blame lay with the contractor that was hired to repair catwalks around the tank. That report acknowledged the presence of holes in the tank and the absence of certain safety measures, but it said the contractor’s workers were using “arc gouging” torches that Motiva had not authorized and that generated lots of sparks, igniting vapors and causing the tank to lift off the ground. The contractor, Washington Group International, did not return a request for comment yesterday. The chemical-safety board blamed Motiva, saying the company never should have allowed the use of torches – or “hot work” – to occur before inspecting and repairing the tank. “Hot work should not have been authorized,” the report states. “Motiva was aware of the condition of the tanks and the fact that they contained flammables.” Some of the findings in the board’s report had been aired previously. Among the new elements were recommendations to prevent such accidents in the future. The company maintains its sulfuric-acid tanks are not governed by certain U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules. The new report urges OSHA to revise the rules so that there would be no question that Motiva is covered. Had they been followed, the rules would have required Motiva to conduct a safety review before converting the tank from one that held “fresh” sulfuric acid to one that contained “spent” acid, the board found. Spent acid often contains flammable hydrocarbons, which are believed to have been ignited by sparks from the torches. The chemical-safety board also said Motiva failed to install an adequate “inerting” system – which would have pumped in sufficient carbon dioxide to prevent any gases from igniting. The refinery did have an inerting system on the tank that blew up, but it consisted of an ineffective rubber hose, the board found. The safety board does not issue fines or citations or apportion responsibility for accidents. Its mission is to prevent future accidents through investigations. Other investigations into the Motiva explosion have been conducted by OSHA, Delaware officials, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which filed a lawsuit last month seeking damages of more than $55 million. An attorney for Davis’ widow, Mary, who has filed a federal suit against Motiva, said he was encouraged by the various findings. “These governmental agencies have come down in the harshest of terms against Motiva,” said attorney Thomas R. Kline. “It just speaks volumes as to the character and nature of the misconduct that the various investigating agencies found.” Kline said he had not seen the complete report from the chemical-safety board yet but had seen a summary.
Portsmouth man burned when oil barrel explodes
By Eyewitness News
(Middletown-AP) — A Portsmouth man was burned over most of his body when an empty oil barrel exploded while he was cutting it open. Joao Silva suffered second-degree burns to 80 percent of his body in the explosion yesterday at Tom’s Lawn and Garden. He was using a plasma cutter — which uses superheated air — to open the drum. Co-workers pulled off Silva’s clothes and used fire extinguishers to put out fires to the store’s garage and doorway. Police say the fumes or residual oil in the drum may have been ignited by the cutter, causing the explosion. Silva was listed in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital late yesterday.
UPDATE, Fire investigation focuses on area above restaurant
By Roxanne Stites and John Woolfolk, Mercury News
Based on videos, interviews, wind patterns and the charred remains of the Santana Row building, investigators Wednesday zeroed in on where the devastating fire may have started: a 100-square-foot area in the northwest corner above the Chili’s restaurant site. Interviews with dozens of construction workers, however, have turned up no more concrete information on the origin of the fire, which is believed to be accidental. Frustrated that no one has stepped forward, the San Jose Fire Department is offering a $5,000 reward for any tip that helps pin down the cause. The workers have been tight-lipped, said San Jose Fire Battalion Chief Greg Spence. “Maybe because they’re afraid to lose their job or be the whistle-blower,” he said. “Or maybe it’s because they really don’t know anything.” An analyst’s report from Wachovia Securities cites a rumor on the construction site that says the fire started from welding work on the vent hood in the Chili’s restaurant. The report also said a Webcam monitoring the site backs up the rumor. A Santana Row spokesman Wednesday said the camera was scanning the entire building, taking digital pictures every 15 minutes, but probably captured nothing definitive. Officials with Federal Realty Investment Trust, a Maryland company, have yet to put a cost estimate on the damage to their $500 million retail and housing project. Monday’s blaze, the largest in San Jose in at least three decades, consumed much of the six-acre Building 7, which was to have 246 apartments and 36 stores. Steven J. Guttman, Federal Realty’s chairman and CEO, said Zurich Insurance adjusters were at the scene and assessing the loss, which would include property and structural damage and the loss of revenue from leases and rental income. “This is a large loss, and it’s complicated,” Guttman said. Guttman also said the opening date for the complex is up in the air. “The fire was less than 72 hours ago. We have no timeline,” he said. With crews still clearing rubble from the building to make it safe enough for inspectors to begin poking around, officials have so far relied on fuzzy images and interviews with a few onlookers to pinpoint the origin of the fire. People working in nearby high-rises told investigators they thought they saw the first flames from the Chili’s site, close to a tall chimney stack that stands out against the leveled site. That point of origin makes sense, San Jose fire Capt. Mark Mooney said, because — with the strong southward wind — that section couldn’t have gotten so charred if the fire hadn’t started there. Searching for more evidence, officials also have looked at home videos made by spectators, but Mooney said none has provided any useful evidence. Reactions to the reward from workers at the site were mixed. Some called the amount a joke. Many contractors make that in a few weeks’ time. Others said it could flush out more leads. “It sounds like it’s Federal Realty’s attempt to have someone else foot the bill,” said Richard Martin, foreman for HL Heggstad. Martin said his company laid off about 30 of its 40 employees and is holding on to paychecks until workers sign a statement explaining where they were and what they were doing when the fire started. “I’d be scared to death to come forward,” said Pat Pearson, a window installer for the project. “At the same time, you don’t want to get caught holding out.” The law does not obligate people to report a crime or accident, according to a Santa Clara County prosecutor. However, it can be a crime to knowingly give false information about, conceal or help conceal a crime. “As part of the community, we all feel a moral obligation to help with this serious investigation, but whether it is a legal obligation is another issue,” said Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu. Fire investigators were expected to do another 40 interviews Wednesday and wrap up their interviews today. Today they will also be able to step onto the concrete slab over the retail level to take their first look at where the fire may have begun. While the investigation continued at Santana Row, city officials toured the fire-ravaged Moorpark apartment and condominium complexes a half-mile away that were set ablaze by flying embers, leaving more than 130 people homeless. Councilman Ken Yeager, who represents the area and led the entourage, said he wanted to understand the situation before a 7 p.m. community meeting today in the Monroe Middle School cafeteria. “You really see how devastating it is,” Yeager said. “It’s very poignant seeing all the kids’ toys. These were families with hopes and dreams. I feel more responsibility to the people who are suffering to make sure the city provides all the resources it can.” Stephen Haase, director of planning, building and code enforcement, said no violations of building standards have been found at either Santana Row or the apartments and condominiums. The apartments will have to meet updated codes when they are rebuilt. But Haase said the city will expedite the permit process and that the ruined dwellings could be reoccupied as fast as their owners can rebuild them, perhaps in as few as four months. “It will be a priority,” Haase said. Although some burned-out tenants have complained that firefighters took too long to respond to Moorpark, a representative of the apartment owners and a neighboring resident both praised the firefighters during the walk-through. “The firefighters not only made sure the fire was out and saved other buildings, they covered belongings and probably saved a majority of the tenants’ property,” said Alan Virchow, a representative of the Moorpark Garden owners. Lisa Russell, who lives in a neighboring complex that was untouched by the fire, stopped by to thank firefighters for their efforts. “They were out here and they were perfect,” she said. The fire department is compiling a report that will detail its response to the fires, including when each of the 45 trucks arrived at Santana Row and in the Moorpark area. Results are expected next week, but officials may share some information with Moorpark residents tonight. As part of the Santana Row cleanup, the last of the 17 vehicles in the parking levels were towed. Some of them escaped without a scratch, others were damaged by heat and water. Those in the basement sat in four feet of water. Before towing those vehicles, city crews pumped 1.2 million gallons of water into the sewer system, according to a supervisor with the city’s environmental services department. Officials suspected the water was polluted from the firefight and vehicle fluids, but test samples were not back. City crews also tested the creeks where millions of gallons of water drained, but said that while they saw patches of black ash, fish and insects were still thriving.
TACOMA: Atlas Foundry fire blamed on late-night welding work
Sean Robinson; The News Tribune
Fire investigators tentatively blamed late-night welding for a two-alarm fire that caused $850,000 in damage to a maintenance shop at Tacoma’s Atlas Foundry Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. Firefighters responded to the blaze at 5:10 a.m. at the foundry at 3021 S. Wilkeson St. After the fire was contained, investigators learned that workers were welding late Saturday. “It looks as though to the investigator that welding is suspected in the cause of this fire,” said Tacoma Fire Department spokesman Gary Schiesz. There were no signs the fire was set intentionally, he added. Schiesz said damages were estimated at $250,000 to the maintenance shed and $600,000 to its contents, which included a forklift and other industrial equipment.
Fire forces many to flee apartments
By Kenneth Lim, Staff Writer
Boca Raton · Many of the residents standing outside Building C of the Casa Del Rio apartment complex only realized that they had to evacuate their homes when fire trucks arrived Monday evening. “I was watching TV, then I saw the trucks outside and when I opened my door the entire hallway was filled with smoke,” said Mary Lohbauer, who ran out, leaving her cats in the house. A fire behind a bathroom wall filled the top floor of the three-story building with heavy smoke at about 7:20 p.m., forcing firefighters to evacuate the building. The fire was extinguished about an hour after firefighters arrived, said Boca Raton Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Frank Montilli. Nobody was injured and damage estimates were not yet available Monday night. The occupants of 15 apartments could not return to their homes and turned to the Red Cross for help. As a fan blew smoke out of the hallways, firefighters used a heat sensor to locate the source of the fire, and had to knock down a wall to locate it, Montilli said. Initial inspections showed soldering work on a bathroom pipe on the third floor may have started a fire in the insulation behind the wall, Montilli said. Lohbauer and other residents from the building said they were lucky somebody called the firefighters, who received the 911 call before they were notified by the alarm company. Casa Del Rio’s apartment buildings are more than 20 years old and have fire alarms that must be manually switched on, said Mary Lewis, a member of the homeowner’s association. The smoke detectors turn on automatically, but they make a beeping that Lewis said was not loud enough. The building is not violating any building fire codes, though. Montilli explained that the latest fire prevention systems can be very expensive and older buildings are often “grandfathered” into existing guidelines. “We’d like every building to have the best fire alarms and sprinklers,” Montilli said. “But not every homeowner’s association is willing to pay for that.” For Suzanne Lohbauer, Mary Lohbauer’s daughter and a firefighter in Broward County, that’s a price that must be paid. “What if the fire happened in the middle of the night when nobody was awake?” Suzanne Lohbauer asked. About an hour after firefighters arrived, Mary Lohbauer was allowed to enter the building with a firefighter to look for her cats in her third-floor apartment. She came out crying with her hands cupped around her mouth. By 9:30 p.m. she had found only one of her cats. “The place was filled with smoke. If I had more time I could have brought them down with me or let them out into the porch.” Kenneth Lim can be reached at [email protected] or 561-243-6624.
3 Boiler Workers Burned as Gas Torch Explodes
By Thai Jones, STAFF WRITER
Three workers replacing a boiler and water heater in a Huntington house on Tuesday were seriously burned when an industrial-strength gas torch they were using exploded. Around 4:30 p.m. Gary Wright, 49, of Patchogue was soldering pipes with a MAPP Gas torch in the basement of 23 Woolsey St. when he accidentally dropped it to the ground and the gas canister exploded, Suffolk County police said. Wright suffered severe facial burns and was taken by police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital. Yesterday he remained in the burn unit in satisfactory condition. Two other workers, Celio Livicura, 29, of Patchogue, and Brian Falabella, 26, of Deer Park, were taken by ambulance to Huntington Hospital. Falabella was later transferred to Stony Brook and was in satisfactory condition yesterday, according to Stella Shivers, a hospital spokeswoman. No further information was available about Livicura’s condition. The men were employed by Burner King, according to Paul Girolamo, who lives at the house. Girolamo said he hired them to install a new boiler and water heater in the house where he has lived for more than 20 years. A Burner King employee reached by phone at the company’s Ronkonkoma office would not comment. Girolamo, 48, a special education teacher at North Shore High School, was outside painting. “I heard a huge explosion and a massive billow of smoke came out of the basement window,” he said. Girolamo’s wife, Nanette, 48, called 911 on a cell phone while her husband turned the garden hose on the three men. She said the basement was not damaged. MAPP Gas uses an acetylene mixture that burns hotter than propane and is often used by plumbers to “sweat,” or join, copper water pipes. Frank Falabella visited his son, Brian, in the hospital on Tuesday night. “His arms were burned and his legs had some burns on them, and a little bit on the lip,” Falabella said. “He was a little drowsy. It didn’t look like he was in pain.” Falabella said some action should be taken. “They should investigate what happened so it doesn’t happen to anyone again,” he said.
Fire damages roof of Menasha paper maker
MENASHA — Firefighters from Menasha and Neenah battled a blaze at Sonoco Products, 69 Washington St., from more than two hours Friday. Capt. Kevin Kloehn of the Menasha Fire Department said the fire was believed to have started around 11 a.m. when sparks from roof replacement work ignited dust from a paper machine in the plant, formerly U.S. Paper. Workers evacuated the building and no one was injured. Firefighters used an aerial ladder to put out hot spots in the roof, where the fire was contained.
Fire Scorches Gym Floor at Buena High;
Los Angeles Times, JESSICA BLANCHARD, TIMES STAFF WRITER
Construction work at Buena High School was temporarily halted Thursday morning when a fire broke out in the school’s gymnasium. No one was seriously injured in what began as a two-alarm fire in Ventura, though two construction workers were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Fire officials said no students were present. The blaze, which began about 11:20 a.m., caused an estimated $ 25,000 in damage to the gymnasium’s wooden floor. Authorities believe the fire started when hot metal debris from a welding torch ignited combustible construction materials being stored in the gym. One of the construction workers who was treated for smoke inhalation had attempted to extinguish the fire himself, officials said. Firefighters arriving at the scene saw smoke coming from the gymnasium’s vents and doors, according to fire officials. Because the gym is a large structure, firefighters upgraded the fire response to two alarms. Five fire engines, one fire truck and four support vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Once inside, fire crews discovered the blaze was concentrated in a small area. They were able to contain the fire in less than 15 minutes, and the second alarm was canceled, said Deputy Fire Marshal Brian Clark, with the Ventura Fire Department. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters began ventilating the gym to clear out the smoke. District Assistant Supt. Joe Richards said construction crews resumed work later in the afternoon. Workers were placing a new roof on the gym and removing solar panels from the existing roof Thursday, he said. The work was part of a $ 9-million renovation and modernization of the school. Richards said the total extent of the damage was not yet known, but that the contractor had assumed responsibility for the fire and would pay for any cleanup and repairs. “We’re going to do our best to keep the project on schedule,” Richards said.