A home on Norton Road in Oak Ridge was destroyed by a fire on Sunday, and a resident had injuries that were not life-threatening.
The house fire was reported at about 5 p.m. Sunday, September 4. When Oak Ridge firefighters arrived, they saw a large amount of smoke and fire coming from the home, a press release said.
“The fire was under control within 20 minutes of arrival, but fire crews remained on scene for the next several hours to put out hot spots,” the press release said.
[Read more…]An Oak Ridge man and his two dogs were displaced following a fire at their Cedar Lane home early Wednesday morning.
The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the house at 2:56 a.m. Wednesday after the homeowner said a lithium battery was on fire in his living room.
Firefighters arrived on scene within three minutes of the call and found smoke and fire in the front of the residence, a press release said. Crews were able to contain the fire within 10 minutes, but there was significant smoke and heat damage throughout the home.
The man and his dogs were able to safely evacuate before the fire department arrived, the press release said. He credited his working smoke alarms for alerting him to the fire and allowing a safe exit.
[Read more…]
Three people who had been asleep are safe after being evacuated from a fire at an apartment complex on Glassboro Drive on Wednesday morning.
At around 8:57 a.m. June 23, Oak Ridge Fire Department crews were dispatched to 114 Glassboro Drive. Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes of the dispatch, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.
“The first arriving crew found smoke showing from the top of the apartment building,†Oak Ridge Fire Marshal Eric Rackard said. “During a search of the apartments, three residents were found asleep in the apartment that was on fire. Crews were able to safely evacuate all residents and they were not injured.â€
[Read more…]
Ray Burney has been promoted to battalion chief in the Oak Ridge Fire Department.
Burney, who has recently served as an Oak Ridge Fire Department captain, takes on the new role following Eric Rackard’s promotion to fire marshal last month, the city said in a press release.
Burney will be battalion chief of the ORFD’s A Shift.
“I truly do appreciate Chief (Travis) Solomon for giving me this opportunity in my career, and I look forward to working with everyone,†Burney said.
[Read more…]
A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 2:50 p.m.
A 20-year-old motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The single-vehicle crash, which was a few blocks east of North Illinois Avenue in an area with a curve and a hill, was reported at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday. The motorcycle was heading west when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.
After the crash, the male motorcyclist was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, said Eric Rackard, battalion chief for the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]
Three people escaped with no injuries from a house fire on Northwestern Avenue early Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Three people escaped with no injuries from a house fire on Northwestern Avenue in the Woodland neighborhood early Sunday, authorities said.
An adult male and two juveniles were home at the time of the fire, and all three escaped, said Eric Rackard, Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief.
The fire was reported near the intersection with Nasson Lane just after midnight Sunday.
The cause is under investigation, Rackard said. [Read more…]
A woman escaped and pets were evacuated after lightning struck a home on Albion Road in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, 2017, likely destroying the residence, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A woman escaped and pets were evacuated after lightning struck a home in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, sparking a fire and likely destroying the residence, authorities said.
The lightning strike was reported at 105 Albion Road at 9:39 a.m. Tuesday. The home is just north of Emory Valley Road and just west of Melton Lake Drive.
The lighting strike occurred roughly in the center of the home, and it started an attic fire that spread across the house.
The female resident was watching television and she felt it, said Gary Williamson, Oak Ridge Fire Department engineer and investigator. She got out of her chair to investigate and saw smoke coming out of outlets and vents. The woman, who was reported to be okay, went to a neighbor’s house.
Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley arrived quickly and reported that the fire was already through the roof, Williamson said. [Read more…]
A fire was reported in a storage room at Tennessee Tool and Engineering (TTE Casting Technologies Inc.) in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Two people were injured in fires in Oak Ridge this month, although the injuries were reported to be minor.
The first fire was reported at 515 Utica Circle in central Oak Ridge at about 3:33 p.m. Friday, March 3. One adult was taken by an ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, said Sergeant Jeremy Huddleston of the Oak Ridge Police Department. The fire was extinguished by the Oak Ridge Fire Department.
ORFD Battalion Chief Eric Rackard said a stove eye that had been left on in the second-floor apartment started a fire in grease in a pan. The resident tried to bring the pan outside to throw it outside, but the grease was burning too much for the resident to be able to handle the pan properly, Rackard said.
The fire burned the resident’s arm, Rackard said. The injuries were described as minor. The fire was deemed to be accidental.
The second fire was reported at Tennessee Tool and Engineering (TTE Casting Technologies Inc.) in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday. That fire started in a storage room, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Fire Department puts out a house fire at 106 Wayside Road on Wednesday, June 15, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. June 16.
An Oak Ridge man and woman and their dog escaped from a fire that heavily damaged a home on Wayside Road on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
The fire was reported at about 5:32 p.m. Wednesday.
The couple and their dog were reported to be out of the house and in a neighbor’s yard when firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported.
The fire appeared to have started at a propane grill on a back porch, although the cause hasn’t been determined, said Eric Rackard, Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief. [Read more…]
Jody Durham
Submitted
The Oak Ridge Fire Department recently held a ceremony to promote three officers and to introduce four new firefighters and their families to the organization. Congratulations to these recently promoted officers and new firefighters.
Jody Durham was promoted from battalion chief to assistant chief of operations. He has been with Oak Ridge Fire Department for more than 10 years. Durham has experience as a U.S. Department of Energy firefighter and as a paramedic with Morgan County Ambulance Service.
Eric Rackard
Eric Rackard was promoted from captain to battalion chief and is assigned as the A-Shift commander. He has been with Oak Ridge Fire Department for eight years, and he has served as a firefighter/engineer and paramedic.
Rackard is an Air Force veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge firefighters check apartments at Rolling Hills Apartments after a carbon monoxide leak was found in one building on Tuesday night, Dec. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 10:05 a.m.
A three-story apartment building was evacuated and a 56-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after firefighters found a carbon monoxide leak in a boiler in the basement of the building on Tuesday night.
The cause of the leak in the boiler on Vanderbilt Drive wasn’t immediately clear. The boiler is used to heat water in that building, and it won’t be used again until it’s repaired and re-inspected, authorities said.
At about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Oak Ridge Fire Department received a call that a woman who lives directly above the boiler at Rolling Hills Apartments was dizzy and throwing up. Her father, who uses oxygen, told ORFD Captain Ray Burney that the family’s dog was “acting funny.” [Read more…]
The driver of a pickup truck that caught on fire on Friday afternoon, Nov. 27, 2015, was taken to the hospital with minor burns, and emergency workers were not injured when fuel vapors ignited after the fire was first extinguished, authorities said. Pictured above are ORFD Battalion Chief Eric Rackard, left, and ORPD Officer Christopher Wallace. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The driver of a pickup truck that caught on fire Friday afternoon was taken to the hospital with minor burns, and emergency workers were not injured when fuel vapors ignited after the fire was first extinguished, authorities said.
The 62-year-old man tried to open the hood of the blue Ford Ranger and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, said Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Rackard. The man, who was not identified, received minor burns on both hands.
The cause of the fire at Diversicare of Oak Ridge, on Elmhurst Drive near Hank’s Market on Emory Valley Road, was unknown.
But a fuel line on the engine ruptured, and gasoline vapors ignited while emergency workers tried to plug the line.
“Anytime you see that, you worry,” Rackard said. [Read more…]
