Oak Ridge Today

Driver dies after crash on State Route 95

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A driver died after a crash on State Route 95 near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40 on Monday afternoon, April 10, 2017. One vehicle, the dark-colored Saturn Astra at right, went off the road. A second vehicle, the red Mercury Sable in the middle of the road, was reported to have crossed the center line and hit a truck trailer, pictured down the hill at left. The TRU Center is up the hill to the right. This picture is taken facing north. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A driver died after a crash on State Route 95 near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40 on Monday afternoon, April 10, 2017. One vehicle, the dark-colored Saturn Astra at right, went off the road. A second vehicle, the red Mercury Sable in the middle of the road, was reported to have crossed the center line and hit a truck trailer, pictured down the hill at left. The TRU Center is up the hill to the right. This picture is taken facing north. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 8 p.m.

The driver of a four-door sedan that crossed over the center line on State Route 95 and hit a semi truck trailer died from his injuries at a hospital, authorities said Monday.

The crash was reported at about 1:57 p.m. Monday in a hilly, curvy section of road near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40. The area is south of the western entrance to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The driver of the red Mercury Sable sedan, which was southbound, was taken by ambulance to Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City, where he later died from his injuries, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The Sable had a disabled driver or passenger license plate, although it wasn’t clear if the driver had a medical issue before the crash.

A third vehicle involved in the crash, a dark-colored Saturn Astra car, went off the roadway from the northbound lane, but did not hit the Mercury Sable sedan or the semi truck, the press release said. No other injuries were reported. [Read more…]

Fireworks suspected, reward offered in wildfire in west Oak Ridge on Saturday

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The U.S. Department of Energy is offering a reward for a wildfire on federal property on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 2017, west of Wisconsin Avenue and south of Whippoorwill Drive. Fireworks are suspected as the cause. (Photo courtesy DOE/City of Oak Ridge)

The U.S. Department of Energy is offering a reward for a wildfire on federal property on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 2017, west of Wisconsin Avenue and south of Whippoorwill Drive. Fireworks are suspected as the cause. (Photo courtesy DOE/City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge is offering a $500 reward for information that helps resolve what happened in a wildfire on federal property in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, a press release said. Fireworks are suspected as the cause of the fire.

The brush fire was reported on U.S. Department of Energy land at about 12:27 p.m. Saturday, March 25, west of Wisconsin Avenue and south of Whippoorwill Drive. It was below, or to the south of, a water tower near Whippoorwill Drive. There are homes just to the north of the water tower, and there are homes east of Wisconsin Avenue.

When firefighters arrived Saturday afternoon, they could not locate a fire, but there was smoke in the area, DOE said in a press release Tuesday.

“While the engine was looking for the fire, a hiker came down the trail and reported the fire was located several hundred yards off the road in the woods,” the press release said. “Engine 1 crew began hiking toward the reported location and was able to find the fire. At that time, the fire was approximately five acres and growing.”

The Oak Ridge Fire Department immediately requested assistance from the Tennessee Division of Forestry to respond with bulldozers to cut fire lines around the fire. The battalion chief also requested representatives from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Division of Forestry, since the fire was burning on U.S. Department of Energy property. [Read more…]

Wildfire that burned 18 acres in west Oak Ridge is contained

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A wildfire burned about 18 acres of federal land in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 2017. The fire was on U.S. Department of Energy land south of Whippoorwill Drive and west of Wisconsin Avenue, in the area below (to the left of) the water tower pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A wildfire burned about 18 acres of federal land in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 2017. The fire was on the Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy land, south of Whippoorwill Drive and west of Wisconsin Avenue, in the area below (to the left of) the water tower pictured above. Smoke from the fire is visible near the water tower. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A wildfire burned about 18 acres of federal land in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon.

The fire was reported on the Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy land, at about 12:27 p.m. Saturday. It was west of Wisconsin Avenue and south of Whippoorwill Drive.

Firefighters initially reported it as about a five-acre fire in a cut between two ridges, said Ray Burney, Oak Ridge Fire Department captain. There is a trail down there, Burney said.

The fire was below East Ridge Boundary Road near a water tower in west Oak Ridge. It emitted smoke that could be seen hanging over neighborhood streets and above the trees from several miles away.

At about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oak Ridge Fire Department crews were cutting fire lines with hand rakes, Burney said. To contain fires, firefighters rake down to the dirt in a containment line that is about three to four feet wide. [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…]

Oak Ridge spent about $22,000 responding to Sevier County fires

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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)

 

Oak Ridge spent about $22,000 responding to the wildfires in Sevier County in November and December, but the city doesn’t want to seek reimbursement.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department sent fire crews to Pigeon Forge on November 28 and 29, and then to Gatlinburg from November 30 to December 4. The ORFD provided structural and wildfire suppression, and search and rescue services in Sevier County, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said in a February 6 memo to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

Besides the emergency services that were provided, four employees of the Oak Ridge Fire Department provided incident management services in the Gatlinburg fire command center, serving as logistics and communications specialist on the state Incident Management Team, Kerley said.

He said it cost about $22,000 in staff, equipment, and fuel to respond to the mutual aid request for the historically large, deadly Sevier County fires, which were started by the Chimney Top 2 fire and fueled by high winds, dry conditions, and downed power lines. The money for the city’s firefighting aid came out of the Oak Ridge Fire Department salary, overtime, and fuel budget. [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…]

Oak Ridge school board to discuss preschool sites during Feb. 24 work session

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Elm Grove Park Preschool Conceptual Site Plan Jan 2017 Large

A conceptual site plan for a new preschool at Elm Grove Park on East Tennessee Avenue in east Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Studio 4 Design/City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will discuss preschool sites during a February 24 work session.

The work session starts at 8 a.m. Friday, February 24, in the conference room of the Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

Oak Ridge municipal and school officials had previously identified Elm Grove Park off East Tennessee Avenue in east Oak Ridge as a preferred site. It’s a city-owned parcel and the site of a former school, and it’s relatively flat and has city-owned utilities. Also, there aren’t many obstacles that would affect construction, and site borings have already been done, city officials said recently. But a petition drive has been started to object to building the preschool there.

In the meantime, city officials learned that a day care center recently closed at Scarboro Community Center, and they are now also considering adding on to that city-owned building off Carver Avenue. The Scarboro Community Center was built with federal Community Development Block Grant funds, and there is no debt on the building, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. It already has a gymnasium, a cafeteria, offices, multi-purpose rooms, and smaller rooms, and there is a playground across the street, city officials said. Additional classrooms and administrative and staff space would be added. [Read more…]

City, schools could pick preschool site soon

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Elm Grove Park Preschool Conceptual Site Plan Jan 2017 Large

A conceptual site plan for a new preschool at Elm Grove Park on East Tennessee Avenue in east Oak Ridge. Officials said the plan would keep the park and the walking trail. (Image courtesy Studio Four Design/City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge municipal and school officials could start selecting a site for the new preschool as early as this month. There are two options being considered: Elm Grove Park and Scarboro Community Center.

Financing for the project, which would include bonds, could be included in the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

In the meantime, a petition drive has been started to oppose building the preschool at Elm Grove Park.

The park had previously been announced as the preferred site for the new preschool, which has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Elm Grove Park is a city-owned parcel in east Oak Ridge off East Tennessee Avenue. It’s the site of a former school, it’s relatively flat, and it has city-owned utilities. Also, there aren’t many obstacles that would affect construction, and site borings have already been done, city officials said last week. [Read more…]

Fatal crash: One adult released from hospital; police officers start memorial with stuffed animals

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Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a three-year-old child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One adult passenger injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday has been released from the hospital, a city official said Saturday. And Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial at the crash site, leaving stuffed animals there Saturday morning.

The fatal crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive. Police said the crash killed one three-year-old child and injured another child, and it also injured four adults. The five people who were injured and the child who died were all taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level I trauma center. All six had been in the same vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle.

On Saturday, Sarah Self, spokesperson for the City of Oak Ridge, said one of the adult passengers was released from UT Medical Center.

The condition of the other injured patients (three adults and one child) was not available, Self said.

Five people in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a newer silver Volkswagen sedan, were not injured, Self said. There were four adults and one child in that car. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge preschool students are riding safely with new helmets

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Thanks to the work of Safe Kids, the Oak Ridge Police Department, and the Oak Ridge Fire Department, preschool students are now riding safely on the playground with new helmets.

Tribby Kelly, compliance monitor at Oak Ridge Preschool, said students ride tricycles and other wheeled toys at school, and they are now required to wear helmets while riding.

As students had helmet fittings, the officers were encouraging them to repeat the simple words, “Wear it!” [Read more…]

Child passenger seat checkpoint dates announced

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Child Passenger Seat Checks

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Safe Kids program are hosting six child passenger seat checkpoints in 2017. The first was scheduled for Saturday, January 14.

These events are held for parents and caregivers to receive education material about car seats, have their car seats checked for any manufacturer recalls, and also have the seats examined for proper installation, a media advisory said. The child passenger seat checkpoint is open to the public, and it is free for participants to attend.

All events will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 2, 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot), from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The dates are as follows: [Read more…]

Child dies, five injured in crash

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A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Jan 16.

A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a serious crash in Oak Ridge on Friday evening, authorities said.

The fatal two-vehicle crash involved 11 people. It was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Those taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level 1 Trauma Center, were four adults and two children. One of those children is the three-year-old who died (the child was initially reported to be four). The four adults and two children were all in one vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle, or SUV.

Five people in a second vehicle—four adults and one child—were reported to not have injuries, according to the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]