Oak Ridge Today

Shutting door may have helped contain house fire

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Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night. The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday, April 9, 2017, at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night. The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday, April 9, 2017, at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

HEISKELL—Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night.

The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, in Anderson County northeast of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75.

It was confined to one room at the front of the house, and to a mattress in a bedroom, said Matthew Burrell, chief of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

The homeowner shut the bedroom door and put towels or blankets under the door, Burrell said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze with a single hose. Damage was limited to about 10 percent of the home, Burrell said.

There were no injuries to residents or firefighters. The cause had not been determined as of Sunday night. [Read more…]

Shutting door during bedroom fire likely saved rest of house, firefighter says

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A fire was reported at 612 Johnson Road on the southwest side of Oliver Springs on Thursday morning, March 23, 2017. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A fire was reported at 612 Johnson Road on the southwest side of Oliver Springs on Thursday morning, March 23, 2017. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

A woman who shut a bedroom door after finding an electrical outlet on fire in a bedroom Thursday morning likely prevented further damage to her house, a firefighter said.

“This woman saved her own house,” said Toby Leinart, Oliver Springs Fire Department lieutenant. Leinart was the incident commander at the fire at the home at 612 Johnson Road on the southwest side of Oliver Springs at about 6:16 a.m. Thursday.

The female resident apparently closed the bedroom door out of instinct, putting the door between herself and danger, Leinart said. Firefighters say a closed door is one of the best pieces of firefighting and lifesaving equipment because it can reduce fire growth and spread, limit damage to a home, and possibly save lives.

“I believe that’s what saved her house today and reduced her damage down to one bedroom,” Leinart said. “I would just about guarantee that’s what saved the rest of her house.”

It’s advice that’s been shared by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office in a “Close the Door” campaign. Even if you escape from your house during a fire, shut the door when you leave if you can, firefighters say. That will help limit oxygen to the fire. (Firefighters also recommend sleeping with bedroom doors closed if possible, and keeping fire doors closed.) [Read more…]

Two people have minor injuries after two fires this month

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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)

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…]

Family escapes house fire thanks to smoke alarm installed by ORFD

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An Oak Ridge family of three was able to get to safety overnight thanks to a smoke alarm that was installed in their home by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, city officials said Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

An Oak Ridge family of three was able to get to safety overnight thanks to a smoke alarm that was installed in their home by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, city officials said Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

An Oak Ridge family of three was able to get to safety overnight thanks to a smoke alarm that was installed in their home by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, city officials said Friday.

The structure fire at 128 Newberry Circle was reported to 911 at 1:10 a.m. Friday, February 17, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. When they arrived, firefighters found the fire to be mostly extinguished with moderate smoke throughout the home.

The residents said after the smoke alarm woke them up, they found the fire and poured a pan of water on it as they dialed 911 and exited the home. The two adults and one child were waiting outside the house when firefighters arrived. The first crew on the scene finished extinguishing the fire and cleared the home of smoke. [Read more…]

ACSD investigating cause of Saturday fire

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the cause of a fire that seriously damaged a mobile home on Norris Freeway on Saturday morning.

After firefighters from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department doused the blaze, investigators spoke with the resident of the single-wide trailer, who told them he was in the process of moving out and had not stayed there in a couple of nights. [Read more…]

Clinton man dies in mobile home fire

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A Clinton man died Tuesday morning in a residential fire at Cedar Grove Mobile Home Park near Clinton, authorities said.

David Earl Floyd, 25, was found after deputies and fire crews were called to a mobile home fire on Cedar Grove Lane about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said.

Firefighters from the Marlow, Claxton, Andersonville, and Clinton fire departments, along with Anderson County EMS, responded to the blaze. [Read more…]

Y-12 firefighter puts out car fire at Weigel’s gas station

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Eric Mocasri of the Oak Ridge Fire Department checks a Volkswagen Beetle that caught fire at a gas pump at Weigel's gas station and convenience store on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Eric Mocsari of the Oak Ridge Fire Department checks a Volkswagen Beetle that caught fire at a gas pump at Weigel’s gas station and convenience store on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A firefighter on his way to work at the Y-12 National Security Complex extinguished a fire in a Volkswagen Beetle at Weigel’s gas station Saturday evening.

Jim Wilson of the Y-12 Fire Department used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in the back of the VW car, which was at a gas pump, just after 5 p.m. Saturday. The flames burned through a grill on the back of the car above the engine, and they were visible from South Illinois Avenue.

It wasn’t clear what caused the fire. [Read more…]

TBI: Two juveniles charged with arson in deadly Sevier County wildfires

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People being removed from vehicles while Oak Ridge Fire Department crews helped respond to the Sevier County wildfire starting Monday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. Dec. 8.

Two juveniles have been charged with aggravated arson in connection with the deadly wildfires in Sevier County last week, authorities said Wednesday. The fires burned more than 17,000 acres around the Chimney Tops trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Wears Valley. Fourteen people died, 176 were injured or made ill, and more than 2,400 structures were damaged or destroyed.

Local fire departments and law enforcement agencies responded to help fight the fires and provide search and rescue help, among other aid. The fire in the park, the most heavily visited in the United States, and the nearby tourist towns has been described as the largest in Tennessee in at least 100 years.

The charges announced Wednesday afternoon were filed after an investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; National Park Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or ATF; and the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office. [Read more…]

Letter: Please contribute to help firefighters, first responders

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To the Editor:

We’ve all been praying for rain, perhaps several times a day. This drought has been affecting our area for over four months now.

Because it’s been so dry, there’s been a ban on fires. You’ve heard the reports: No open fires. No fire pits or campfires. No grilling whether charcoal or gas. No throwing down a cigarette butt. No burning of brush or rubbish.

If you were going to ask, the answer would be a simple “NO!”

As a result, someone has, or did because they figured it was OK. Whether it was intentional or not. It happened. Fires popped up here and there. On the mountain side, at the campground, someone’s backyard, or even a spark from an engine. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge firefighters help rescue 12 people trapped in cars surrounded by fires near Dollywood

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People being removed from vehicles while Oak Ridge Fire Department crews helped respond to the Sevier County wildfire starting Monday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley)

People being removed from vehicles while Oak Ridge Fire Department crews help respond to the wildfires that raged across Sevier County on Monday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m.

Oak Ridge firefighters helped rescue 12 people and four dogs from three cars surrounded by fires behind Dollywood near Pigeon Forge on Monday.

The 12 visitors had been staying in rental cabins behind the Dollywood theme park.

The rescue happened at about 11 p.m. Monday after wildfires fueled by high winds spread from Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Gatlinburg area.

Before the rescue, an Oak Ridge Fire Department crew, along with five Maryville firefighters, had responded to several fire-related situations in Pigeon Forge, most of them in the Dollywood area, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. Pigeon Forge is near Gatlinburg.

At about 11 p.m., the firefighters were dispatched to Mitchell Road to help a man trapped in a cabin with fire all around him. But firefighters were unable to get there because the road was blocked by downed trees and power poles, the press release said. Firefighters began cutting trees until they encountered downed power lines and transformers.

Once Sevier County Electric System workers arrived and cut electrical power to the area, the crew again entered the fire area to rescue the man, the press release said. [Read more…]

More information on local firefighters, law enforcement responding to Gatlinburg fires

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The Clinton Fire Department is pictured above responding to the fires in Sevier County on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Clinton Fire Department)

 

We have more information on local firefighters and law enforcement that have either responded to help fight the fires in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park—or remain in standby in case they are needed.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas and other officials said Andersonville, Claxton, Clinton, Marlow, Oak Ridge, and Oliver Springs fire departments all sent resources to the fire.

Anderson County EMS sent its mass casualty response vehicle on Monday night, and they sent three ambulances Tuesday morning, Lucas said.

Lucas said he talked to Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals on Monday night, and Anderson County deputies are on stand-by in case Sevier County needs additional law enforcement personnel. [Read more…]

Here are places you can drop off supplies to donate to firefighters

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Firefighters are pictured above in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week. (Photo by Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:45 p.m.

There are a number of places you can drop off supplies to donate to the firefighters battling destructive blazes in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here are several, with two in Oak Ridge, one in Clinton, and one in Roane County: [Read more…]