Oak Ridge Today

Fireworks still scheduled for tonight as heavier rains move out of area

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July 4 Fireworks Setup

Workers set up fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge for a Sunday evening (July 7) show. (Photo by Darryl Kerley)

The Oak Ridge fireworks show is still scheduled for this evening, and crews were loading the fireworks Sunday morning, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The July 4 fireworks were rescheduled for 10 p.m. today (Sunday, July 7) because of forecasts calling for heavy rain before and on Independence Day.

The event itself starts at 7 p.m. today at A.K. Bissell Park. Radio host Jack Ryan will be transmitting live from the park beginning at 6 p.m. and will conclude the live broadcast on Merle 96.7 FM with a patriotic medley as the fireworks are shot, according to a city press release last week. [Read more…]

July 4 fireworks in Oak Ridge rescheduled to Sunday

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July 4, 2012 Fireworks

The July 4 fireworks show in Oak Ridge has been rescheduled for 10 p.m. Sunday at A.K. Bissell Park. (Photo by Charles Samuels)

The July 4 fireworks in Oak Ridge have been rescheduled from Thursday to Sunday, an official said Tuesday.

“After consulting with the National Weather Service and our fireworks contractor Pyro Shows, I have made the decision to re-schedule the event,” Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said in a press release. “The community investment is too great for the event to not be spectacular.”

He said heavy rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday, and that could cause problems setting up and loading the shells. The rain could also result in misfires during the Independence Day show and make it difficult for residents and visitors to sit outside and enjoy the display. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department announces two new hires

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department held a ceremony on June 11 to welcome two new members.

The event was held at Fire Station No. 3, and firefighter trainees Courtney McCarter and Joe Brackins were sworn in as the two newest members of the fire department. Both firefighters began their service for the department on April 22 and have already completed multiple training sessions, a press release said. [Read more…]

Four Oak Ridge fire officers receive national accreditation

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

Josh Waldo

Josh Waldo

The Center for Public Safety Excellence has notified four officers of the Oak Ridge Fire Department that they have received national accreditation, a press release said.

ORFD Fire Chief Darryl Kerley and Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo have been notified that they have been approved for the designation of chief fire officer, the release said. Battalion chiefs Marty Griffith and Joseph Durham have been approved for the designation of fire officer. [Read more…]

July 4 fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park

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July 4 Fireworks

The July 4 fireworks show in Oak Ridge starts at 10 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park. (Photo by Charles Samuels)

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley has announced that the fireworks display, sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, will begin at 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 4. The display will be shot from A.K. Bissell Park.

The fireworks will be accompanied by music played live on-site by Merle 96.7 FM. Radio host Jack Ryan will be live from the park beginning at 6 p.m. and will conclude the live broadcast with a patriotic medley as the fireworks are shot. The countdown to the fireworks begins at 9:30 p.m. Listeners can tune their radios to 96.7 Merle FM and enjoy the show.

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform its annual 4th of July concert at the A.K. Bissell Park Pavilion beginning at 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Storm knocked trees onto homes, woman reports possible lightning strike

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Tree on Delaware Avenue Home

A tree fell on a vacant Delaware Avenue home during a severe Monday night storm. (Photo by Brad Jones)

A strong storm that blew through Oak Ridge on Monday knocked two trees down onto homes. One fell onto a firefighter’s house and caused several thousand dollars worth of damage, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

Firefighters also responded to a call from a woman who called 911 and said she thought she had been struck by lightning during the 7 p.m. storm.

“Upon arrival, the fire department found her in the living room of her home complaining of chest pain,” Kerley said. “She stated she was standing looking out the window when lighting hit in front of her, and she began experiencing chest pain. She was transported to Methodist Medical Center for evaluation.” [Read more…]

ORFD: After Y-12 refuses wet nitric acid package, FedEx driver finds leak

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FedEx Nitric Acid Spill

Workers from a commercial cleanup company place a leaking nitric acid package in a secure container along Administration Road on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by Tom Scott)

The cardboard container contained one liter of nitric acid, and the delivery had been refused at the Y-12 National Security Complex because the bottom of the package was wet, the FedEx driver told Oak Ridge firefighters.

The delivery driver checked the 11-pound package at his next stop, and he found fluid leaking out of it and immediately called 911, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said in a Tuesday afternoon statement. [Read more…]

About 100 people evacuated after pickup ruptures apartment gas line

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Broadway Apartments Gas Leak

The Broadway Apartments on East Madison Road were evacuated Friday morning after a pickup truck rolled down a small hill and ruptured a two-inch gas line. (Photo by Tom Scott)

Emergency workers started evacuating about 100 people at an apartment complex and day care center on Friday morning after a pickup truck ruptured a two-inch natural gas line in central Oak Ridge.

The apparently unoccupied pickup truck, which might have popped out of gear, rolled down a small hill at Broadway Apartments on East Madison Road and into a gas meter, which was attached to the gas line, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

“It made a pretty significant leak,” he said. [Read more…]

No one injured, home destroyed in suspicious Sunday morning fire

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Hillside Road House Fire

No one was injured in a suspicious Sunday morning fire that destroyed a home on Hillside Road, authorities said. (Photos by Tom Scott)

No one was injured, but a home was destroyed in a suspicious Sunday morning fire on Hillside Road, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

“It’s under investigation, but it appears to be suspicious in nature,” Kerley said.

The renters at the home were moving to Knoxville, and most of their belongings had been removed, Kerley said. The home had no power or utilities, and no one was home at the time of the fire.

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Firefighters, animal control officers rescue horse stuck in trailer

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Oak Ridge Animal Control Officers Rescue Horse

Oak Ridge firefighters and police and animal control officers rescue a horse stuck in a trailer near Oak Ridge Turnpike and Louisiana Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured above helping the horse out of the trailer is Oak Ridge Animal Control Officer Randy Proffitt.

Oak Ridge firefighters and animal control officers rescued a horse stuck in a trailer with its hoof above its head near Oak Ridge Turnpike and Louisiana Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

The horse was being hauled from Anderson County to Second Chance Youth Ranch in Sweetwater when it apparently put at least one hoof up on a hay loft inside the trailer and then broke through the loft, getting stuck, with its hoof stuck in the hole.

Mary Braswell was driving near the trailer at about 2:24 p.m. Wednesday. At first, she and her passenger Megan Baker thought the horse, which was moving around, was a colt because it looked small.

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Smoking apparently caused fatal fire Monday

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Decatur Road House Fire

Smoking appears to have caused the fatal house fire that killed one person and a dog on Decatur Road on Monday afternoon, authorities said. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Smoking appears to have caused the Monday afternoon fire that killed one person and a dog, fire officials said Tuesday.

“We’re not positive yet, but (the cause of the fire) could be smoking in the living room,” Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

Kerley said the victim’s body was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for an autopsy and identification. The victim appeared to be a man, he said.

Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo said Tuesday afternoon that the victim died in the fire.

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Griffith promoted to ORFD battalion chief

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Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley has promoted Marty Griffith to battalion chief.

A city press release said Griffith has more 14 years of experience in fire, rescue, and emergency medical services. He was one of five Oak Ridge Fire Department employees who sought the job, which was open due to a recent retirement.

[Read more…]