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Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration is Saturday

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Oak Ridge Fire and Crime Prevention Parade Map 2019
Oak Ridge Fire and Crime Prevention Parade Map 2019 (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge fire and police departments, in partnership with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, will hold this year’s Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration on Saturday.

Everyone is invited to participate and support this free event, which combines the police department’s annual National Night Out and the fire department’s Fire Prevention Parade into one big community celebration, a press release said. 

The event will kick off with a parade (weather permitting) at 11 a.m. at Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Station 3 on Tuskegee Drive. Following the parade, the celebration in Alvin K. Bissell Park is expected to begin around noon, and it will include food, emergency services equipment displays, a mobile video game theater, bounce houses, safety information booths, and police/fire demonstrations, the press release said.

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Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration is Oct. 26

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Oak Ridge Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Fire and Police Departments, in partnership with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, will hold this year’s Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration on Saturday, October 26.

“Everyone is invited to participate and support this free event, which combines the police department’s annual National Night Out and the Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Parade into one big community celebration,” a press release said.

Goals of the Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration include:

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Apartment kitchen fire stopped by suppressor system

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An automatic stovetop device stopped a kitchen fire from spreading in an Oak Ridge apartment Thursday morning, firefighters said. (Photo by ORFD)

An automatic stovetop device stopped a kitchen fire from spreading in an Oak Ridge apartment Thursday morning, firefighters said.

The fire was reported at about 10:52 a.m. Thursday in an apartment on Teller Village Lane. The first Oak Ridge Fire Department unit arrived within minutes and found smoke inside the apartment, a press release said.

No injuries were reported in the fire. The vent hood system, cabinets, and stovetop in the kitchen were damaged, but the fire was not able to spread because of the automatic stovetop fire suppressor device, the press release said.

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Power restored after being out across most of city

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

Power has been restored to most, if not all, customers after being out across nearly all of Oak Ridge on Sunday afternoon, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

If you are still without power, you can call (865) 425-1803.

The cause of the power outages weren’t immediately clear, but there were thunderstorms over Oak Ridge on Sunday afternoon. The storms brought heavy rain and lightning and thunder.

It wasn’t immediately clear how long the power was out for different customers and where.

It would be the second major outage in Oak Ridge since mid-June, the weekend of the Secret City Festival, when the city had several electrical power outages. The most widespread outage that weekend occurred Saturday afternoon, when approximately 11,455 homes and businesses were affected across the city. The outage area included nearly everything north of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and west of Rutgers Avenue. Other areas in the central-south part of the city were also affected. Power was out for about two hour and 20 minutes.

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ORFD warns of fraudulent carbon monoxide safety campaign

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department is warning residents about a potentially fraudulent safety campaign. Firefighters were made aware this week that an unknown person claiming to be with the fire department is going to door to door, attempting to speak with homeowners about carbon monoxide detectors, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department is not currently operating any door-to-door safety campaigns in our area, the press release said. ORFD personnel will also never try to sell items to residents.

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Lightning starts bedroom fire

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No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, firefighters said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, firefighters said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to reports of a tree being struck by lightning in the 100 block of Baltimore Drive at about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 2.

Firefighters said the energy from the lightning strike ran into a nearby home, causing the electrical outlets in a bedroom to arc. The electrical arcing set a bed on fire, which heavily damaged the bedroom and its contents, a press release said.

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Reminder: Fireworks tonight in A.K. Bissell Park

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

A reminder: The annual fireworks show in Oak Ridge is in Alvin K. Bissell Park tonight (Thursday, July 4).

The fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge to celebrate Independence Day.

Today’s fireworks are expected to begin after dark at about 9:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 75th year, will perform before the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. WMYL 96.7 Merle FM will be live following the band performance and will broadcast the soundtrack for the fireworks display.

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Oak Ridge has Water Safety Day on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a press release said. Demonstrations will include boating and lifejacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more.

“Please note that the pool’s open swim schedule has been adjusted due to the event and will begin immediately following Water Safety Day activities,” the press release said. Those who participate in the event will be eligible to stay for open swim at no cost.

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Fireworks are July 4 in A.K. Bissell Park

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Oak Ridge fireworks are July 4 in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The Independence Day fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, and it is expected to begin after dark at approximately 9:45 p.m. July 4, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge fireworks are July 4 in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The Independence Day fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, and it is expected to begin after dark at approximately 9:45 p.m. July 4.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 75th year, will perform prior to the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. WMYL 96.7 Merle FM will be live following the band performance and will broadcast the soundtrack for the fireworks display, the press release said.

“Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating,” the release said. “A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Please sit only in the designated areas.”

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

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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.

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One person dies in Edgemoor Road crash

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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.

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Updated: One person dies in crash in west Oak Ridge

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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.

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