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Forest fire northwest of Oliver Springs grew to 300 acres

Posted at 8:57 pm November 28, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The forest fire reported on Big Brushy Mountain between Oliver Springs and Petros on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, grew to 300 acres, and it was reported to have containment lines around it on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The fire is pictured above from State Route 62 near Back Petros Road on Monday, Nov. 27. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The forest fire reported on Big Brushy Mountain between Oliver Springs and Petros on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, grew to 300 acres, and it was reported to have containment lines around it on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The fire is pictured above from State Route 62 near Back Petros Road on Monday, Nov. 27. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

PETROS—The forest fire reported between Oliver Springs and Petros on Sunday grew to 300 acres, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

Firefighters were reported to have containment lines around the fire, said Nathan Waters, assistant district forester in the Tennessee Division of Forestry Administration’s East Tennessee District.

The fire, about seven miles northwest of Oliver Springs and a few miles south of Petros, was reported at about 4 p.m. Sunday. On Monday, Waters said the cause was under investigation.

It hadn’t endangered any structures, Waters said Tuesday evening. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fire, Front Page News, Morgan County, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Back Petros Road, forest fire, Nathan Waters, Oliver Springs, Petros, State Route 62, Tennessee Division of Forestry Administration

Petros fire updates: Few embers, smoke on Friday

Posted at 10:45 am November 26, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

jason-oshell-crew-at-mountain-fire-morgan-county-1-nov-2016

Jason O’Shell, right, leads a crew on a mountaintop in Morgan County, near Petros, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Department of Agriculture)

 

PETROS—A few embers and smoke remained on a mountaintop just north of Oliver Springs in Morgan County on Friday as a Tennessee Division of Forestry crew headed out for another fire reported in nearby Roane County, state officials said.

The firefighters, led by crew boss Jason O’Shell, worked the day building fire lines and backfiring to keep the Morgan County fire from spreading in an area frequented by four-wheelers, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture said. The crew was helped by a federal fire crew from western states.

Crews have been battling two blazes this week north of Oliver Springs, near Petros. The two fires have been about 12-16 miles northwest of Oak Ridge.

One fire, the Bald Knob Road fire, has been roughly east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line, in mountains east of Highway 62 and south of Highway 116. Crews first responded to that fire on Sunday. Since then, it has grown to 1,173 acres. It’s an arson, and it’s 100 percent contained, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry said Friday afternoon. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Morgan County, Petros, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: arson, Bald Knob Road fire, Beech Grove Road fire, fire, Highway 116, Highway 62, Jason O'Shell, Little Brushy fire, Morgan County, Morgan County fire, National Weather Service, Petros, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Division of Forestry

Arson suspected in Little Brushy fire near Petros

Posted at 11:25 pm November 24, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

Arson is suspected in the Little Brushy forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 a few miles south of Petros, authorities said Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. The fire is above Petros-Joyner School and homes and businesses along Highway 62, near the intersection with Highway 116. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Arson is suspected in a forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 south of Petros, authorities said Thursday.

The Little Brushy fire is in mountains above Petros-Joyner School near the intersection of Highway 62 and Highway 116 in Morgan County. It was 10 percent contained early Thursday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Residents said they first noticed the fire, which is above homes and businesses along Highway 62, at about 11 a.m. Wednesday. The fire burned vigorously at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, and it blew heavy smoke across Highway 62, reducing visibility on a section of road between Petros and Oliver Springs.

It’s the second fire this week near Petros. The other fire, which firefighters started battling on Sunday, is called the Bald Knob Road fire. That fire is roughly on the other side of Petros and about five miles north of Little Brushy. It appeared to have started in mountains east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line in an area that residents call the Gillontine Trail.

The Bald Knob Road fire held at 790 acres, and it was 100 percent contained on Thursday, according to a fire update from the Tennessee Division of Forestry early Thursday afternoon. Arson is also suspected in that fire. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Petros, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road fire, Beech Grove Road fire, Bill Haslam, brush fire, burn ban, fire, forest fire, Gillontine Trail, Highway 116, Highway 62, Little Brushy fire, Morgan County, Petros, regional burn ban, Tennessee Division of Forestry, wildfire, Yarnell Road

Two forest fires burn near Petros

Posted at 9:11 pm November 23, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

The Little Brushy fire burns on a ridge above Highway 62 near Petros-Joyner School and the intersection with Highway 116 on Wednesday evening, Nov. 23, 2016. The fire is a few miles south of Petros. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 24.

PETROS—One forest fire that has burned close to 800 acres since Sunday had scorched down to the north side of Petros by Wednesday evening, and a second nearby mountain fire that residents said started Wednesday morning billowed smoke across a section of Highway 62 south of Petros, near Petros-Joyner School in Morgan County.

The first fire, the one that firefighters have been battling since Sunday, is the Bald Knob Road fire. It’s named for a road that runs east out of Petros. It had charred 790 acres as of noon Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry. The fire is a suspected arson, and it was 60 percent contained on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday evening, firefighters appeared to have set back fires, which they use to contain blazes, near several homes in Petros, including off Armes Road in north Petros.

That fire had grown from what was reported to be a few hundred acres on Monday, when it emitted a smoke plume that could be seen for miles, including in Oak Ridge, to about 450 acres on Tuesday. It had almost doubled in size by Wednesday. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fire, Petros, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road fire, Bill Haslam, burn ban, fire, firefighters, forest fire, Highway 116, Highway 62, Little Brushy fire, Morgan County, mountain fire, Petros, Petros-Joyner School, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee wildfires, Wade Teague, wildfire

Updated: Arson suspected in mountain fire emitting miles-long smoke plume

Posted at 5:41 pm November 21, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

PETROS—Arson is suspected in a fire that started this weekend and has burned about 452 acres in mountain forests a few miles east and northeast of Petros, authorities said Monday.

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Filed Under: Fire, Petros, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road, Beech Grove Road, Bill Haslam, brush fire, burn ban, Carol Beene, drought, fire, Gillontine Trail, Highway 116, Morgan County, New River, Petros, Petros Library, Stoney Fork, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Division of Forestry, wildfire

Updated: Two teens injured in ATV crash in Morgan County

Posted at 4:54 pm November 27, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

UT-Lifestar-Oliver-Springs-Nov-27-2015

Two teenagers were injured in an ATV crash in Coalfield in Morgan County at about 3:16 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, and one was flown to a hospital by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter that landed in Oliver Springs, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 28.

OLIVER SPRINGS—Two teenagers were injured in a two-vehicle ATV crash in Coalfield in Morgan County on Friday afternoon, and one of them was flown to a hospital by a medical helicopter that landed in Oliver Springs, authorities said.

The teenager flown to the hospital is a 14-year-old who had been driving a 2007 Suzuki Eiger 400 on Back Petros Road at about 3:16 p.m. Friday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. It was headed in the same direction as a second all-terrain vehicle, a Honda Recon driven by another 14-year-old.

But the right front tire of the Suzuki ran into the left rear tire of the Honda as the two vehicles were going around a curve, a THP preliminary report said.

The 14-year-old driving the Suzuki then lost control of the ATV, and it overturned, the THP said. The driver was wearing a helmet, but had multiple injuries, the THP said. A 15-year-old passenger in the Suzuki was not wearing a helmet and was injured, the report said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Morgan County, Morgan County, Oliver Springs, Petros, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: ATV crash, Back Petros Road, Coalfield, Lifestar, Morgan County, Oliver Springs, Petros, Tennessee Highway Patrol, THP, Tri County Mall, UT Lifestar

Morgan voters OK distillery at former Brushy Mountain prison

Posted at 12:34 pm November 6, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary in Petros, pictured above, into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Department of Correction)

Information from WYSH Radio

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. The measure passed with 2,431 votes to 1,150 votes against.

Chattanooga-based Brushy Mountain Group is leading the effort to build the distillery, which could bring more than 100 new jobs to Morgan County. In addition to producing moonshine at the former prison, the company also intends to open a gift shop, a museum, and horse trails on the property, and would also like to offer tours of the historic prison to the public.

The former Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex is located about 18 northwest of Oak Ridge in Petros. The maximum-security prison first opened in 1896 and closed in June 2009. At 113 years old, it was the oldest operating prison in Tennessee. Its most infamous inmate was James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Morgan County, Morgan County, Top Stories Tagged With: Brushy Mountain, Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, Brushy Mountain Group, Brushy Mountain Penitentiary, distillery, James Earl Ray, liquor, moonshine, Morgan County, Petros, prison, tourist attraction

Paintings, jazz featured at Sunday service at Unitarian Universalist church

Posted at 1:30 pm March 2, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A Sunday service at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will feature paintings and jazz.

The paintings by regional artist Rickey A. Beene will be displayed in the church sanctuary. They are portraits of his neighbors in Petros in Morgan County.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Faith, Music Tagged With: Dissonance and Dignity: A Sunday with Paintings and Jazz, jazz, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, ORUUC, paintings, Petros, Rickey A. Beene, Unitarian Universalist, Wendel Werner

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Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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