Oak Ridge Today













Emergency workers: State your location when calling 911 from cell phone

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge 911 Dispatch Center is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge emergency workers and dispatchers are urging the community to remember a potentially life-saving step when calling 911 from a cell phone: immediately state your location to the dispatcher.

“The Oak Ridge fire and police departments are working to share this important information after incidents involving cell signals were routed to the wrong 911 center, potentially delaying emergency response,” a press release said.

Emergency service organizations (fire, police, ambulance, and dispatch) and 911 callers have no control over which cell tower is used by an individual’s phone. If you are making a 911 call from your cell phone, you should always advise the dispatcher of the city and/or county you are calling from and your exact location, the press release said.

[Read more…]

One person dies in Edgemoor Road crash

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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

One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Monday, police said.

The head-on collision was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Haw Ridge Park. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department responded.

[Read more…]

Updated: One person dies in crash in west Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. May 1.

A female driver died in a crash in west Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Nebraska Avenue, at Newport Drive. It involved a maroon sedan and a white pickup truck. The sedan had come to a stop heading south on Newport Drive onto Oak Ridge Turnpike, while the pickup truck was in the westbound lanes with its front end turned into the grassy center median.

The cause is not known yet. A specialist who can reconstruct the crash was investigating, Oak Ridge Police Department Lieutenant Matt Tedford said Tuesday afternoon.

The female’s body was taken for an autopsy by the Roane County medical examiner, Tedford said.

[Read more…]

Mother, son escape; cats rescued from basement fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A mother and her teenage son escaped from a basement fire on Monday evening, April 15, 2019, on Hugh Lane in Oak Ridge, and two cats were rescued. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A mother and her teenage son escaped from a Monday evening basement fire on Hugh Lane in Oak Ridge, and two cats were rescued.

The fire was reported at about 5:40 p.m. Monday, April 15.

When the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived, firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the basement area of a three-unit condominium, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

[Read more…]

CSX held train traffic out of area during Elza Gate fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking north toward Elza Drive. The line at right crosses over Elza Drive. The line at left is now partially dismantled, and it ran through east Oak Ridge, past Jefferson Middle School, and to Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

CSX said it held train traffic out of the area during a brush and grass fire near the railroad tracks in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking north toward Elza Drive. The line at right crosses over Elza Drive. The line at left is now partially dismantled, and it ran through east Oak Ridge, past Jefferson Middle School, and to Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

CSX said it held train traffic out of the area during a brush and grass fire near the railroad tracks in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The large fire was reported at about 3:30 p.m. Friday along the railroad tracks south of Elza Drive, just east of Elza Gate Park. The fire burned grass on the side of a steep embankment supporting the railroad tracks that cross over Elza Drive. It also appeared to spread to nearby brush and grass near an unused rail line that splits off near the Clinch River to enter east Oak Ridge at Melton Lake Drive. The fire sent up a large plume of black and gray smoke that was visible for miles.

“Flames were moving quickly, fueled by strong winds and excess brush in the area,” the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

CSX and the City of Oak Ridge said the cause of Friday’s fire remains under investigation. The Oak Ridge Fire Department said it believes the fire was unintentional. [Read more…]

Firefighters use back burns to help contain Elza Gate fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The large grass fire was reported on the steep embankment along the railroad tracks east of Elza Gate Park at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. The fire sent up a large plume of black and gray smoke that was visible for miles.

“Flames were moving quickly, fueled by strong winds and excess brush in the area,” the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

Crews started attacking the fire from several locations, the ORFD said. When flames spread to the railroad bridge over Elza Drive, firefighters were able to save it by walking out onto the bridge and extinguishing the flames. [Read more…]

Four families displaced by apartment fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Four families were displaced by a fire in an apartment on Waddell Circle on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Four families were displaced by a fire in an apartment on Waddell Circle on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

Four families were displaced by a fire in an apartment on Waddell Circle on Friday afternoon, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

The fire was reported at about 2:10 p.m. Friday, March 22, in the 200 block of Waddell Circle. Firefighters reported heavy smoke and fire coming from one of the second-floor apartments when they arrived.

The flames were quickly extinguished, and crews confirmed that all occupants made it out of the building safely, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The occupants told first responders they heard a “whooshing” sound while watching television. When they opened the back door, they found the deck on fire. [Read more…]

Updated: Fire crews battle brush fire near railroad tracks at Elza Gate

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Fire crews battle a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Fire crews battle a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 p.m.

Fire crews battled a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The fire was burning in brush on a steep embankment about 20 feet high along the railroad tracks. It had also spread to nearby brush.

Smoke was visible over the east end of Oak Ridge at about 3:30 p.m., in the area east of Elza Gate Park.

Firefighters responded from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, and Oliver Springs Fire Department. The Oak Ridge Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Tennessee Department of Agriculture also responded.

Witnesses told authorities that some railroad equipment had sent sparks flying around the time of the fire, but the City of Oak Ridge wasn’t able to confirm a cause on Friday night. [Read more…]

Student receives award for extinguishing kitchen fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student, Wesley Alig,a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student, Wesley Alig, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year.

When a slow cooker in his kitchen caught fire on Halloween, Wesley Alig used skills he learned in Oak Ridge’s Junior Police Academy to successfully operate a fire extinguisher, a press release said. Wesley, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, is a graduate of the 2018 Junior Police Academy class.

The incident happened at the Alig family’s home on Heritage Drive in Oak Ridge. Wesley told first responders he heard a popping noise coming from the slow cooker, the press release said. When he walked into the kitchen to check, he saw flames on the stovetop. [Read more…]

Battle of the Badges blood drive is Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

BATTLE OF THE BADGES MEDIC flyer

The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department will be competing on Friday as part of the Battle of the Badges MEDIC blood drive benefiting East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

The blood drive is scheduled for Friday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Donations for Broc Selby, a Children’s Hospital patient and grandson of an ORPD officer, are still being accepted, a press release said. All other donations will directly benefit other children in medical need.

“Everyone is invited to support our local first responders in saving lives,” the press release said. All donors will receive a free T-shirt and restaurant coupon from MEDIC.

Questions about the blood drive can be directed to MEDIC Regional Blood Center at (865) 524-3074 or the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-3514.

ORFD helped fight fire in Oliver Springs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and other departments helped Oliver Springs fight this fire on West Tri County Boulevard early Wednesday, March 5, 2019. (Photo by Tom Scott)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and other departments helped Oliver Springs fight this fire on West Tri County Boulevard early Wednesday, March 5, 2019. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to help fight a fire in Oliver Springs last week.

The fire was reported at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, March 5, in a building in the 900 block of West Tri County Boulevard, said fire photographer Tom Scott.

The initial response was by the Oliver Springs Fire Department, followed by the Marlow, Blair, and Oak Ridge fire departments on a mutual aid request, Scott said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police conduct water rescue

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy ORFD)

The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy ORFD)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

The vehicle was on Oak Ridge Turnpike (Highway 95) in west Oak Ridge, one of several roads in the area that has had at least a portion of it closed.

“We are asking everyone to stay home and off the roads today while we respond to flooding in Oak Ridge,” the Fire Department said. [Read more…]

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today