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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Fire Damages Home in Kennewick

A fire at a Kennewick double-wide trailer Monday may have been started by an electrical problem, but investigators say more information is needed until they determine a cause.

Kennewick Fire Marshal Mark Yaden also told the Herald they're considering any possibility -- from arson to accidental. The Kennewick Police Department's arson detective was called out to help.

"We did clean up the scene and got it reconstructed. We can see where the fire started in the bedroom," Yaden said. "There's some electrical wiring in there that didn't look too bad but is damaged from the fire."

Electricians are being called in to help trace the circuits for investigators, he said. Yaden said they don't know if the damage seen in the wiring caused the fire or if it was damaged by the fire.

Smoke billowed out of the home at 2302 N. Utah St., where the fire was reported just before 9 a.m.

Two adults and three children who were home at the time escaped without injuries, said Kennewick Deputy Fire Chief Marvin Leonard.

One resident went to get into the shower, walked by a back bedroom and noticed smoke as the person went by the door, he said.

"They opened the door, and flames and smoke came out. They shut the door and called 911 and evacuated the residence," he said. "The house was full of a family just getting up and getting on with their day."

Flames were shooting out of the roof of the home when the first engine from the Richland Fire Department arrived. A next-door neighbor said he heard the sirens, went outside and saw the flames over the large camper he had parked in the driveway.

Another neighbor told the Herald that responding firefighters did an incredible job getting the fire out so quickly.

The Richland fire crew had the flames knocked down within three minutes of announcing on the radio that they were going into the home, Leonard said.

Firefighters knew the fire was in the corner back bedroom, so they went straight to the room and extinguished it, he said. It took about another 15 minutes to put out all the major hot spots, he said.

By 10:15 a.m., firefighters still were cutting holes into the roof to ensure the fire was out.

An estimated 21 firefighters from Kennewick and Richland fire departments and Benton Fire District 1 responded. There were no injuries.

5/22/12 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: A slight chance of drizzle. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 58. East wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers between 9am and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Areas of fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 67. South wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind between 3 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Southeast wind between 5 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Memorial Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 78.

Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Fire Damages Historic Restaurant in Vancouver

A two-alarm fire damaged a landmark Vancouver waterfront restaurant just after lunch hour today.

Firefighters were called to Who Song & Larry's Cantina at 111 S.E. Columbia Way about 1:15 p.m. after a report of smoke coming from the attic space. They arrived to find light smoke coming from the building, but the fire was spreading even as they parked their trucks.

Diners and staff successfully evacuated the restaurant. Within a few minutes flames erupted from one end of the roof, and a second alarm was called. In all, most of the city's on-duty firefighters were called to the scene, along with units from Clark County Fire District 6 and the Portland Fire Bureau. Portland also sent the fire boat Eldon Trinity in case the blaze needs to be attacked from the river side, but it was dismissed without using its water cannons.

By 1:45 p.m. firefighters gained the upper hand and prevented the flames from spreading, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

The landmark Mexican restaurant has occupied a spot on the north bank of the Columbia River, just east of the Interstate 5 Bridge, for nearly 30 years, and predates Waterfront Park. It is a unit of RM Opco, which since March 12 is the owner of the El Torito and Chevy's Fresh Mex chains, among other brands.

Although the firefighters are still on the scene, it seems likely that the restaurant will have to be closed for significant repairs. The interior has suffered smoke and water damage, and some of the fire sprinklers triggered, according to radio traffic.

5/21/12 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Late Afternoon: Showers. Areas of fog. High near 60. East wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Areas of fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday: A chance of showers, mainly before 11am. Areas of fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 68. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers. Areas of fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind between 3 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers between 8am and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind between 5 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Memorial Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Court Running Again Following Mold Damage

The Union Gap Municipal Court is back open Monday after closing almost three weeks ago because of toxic black mold at city hall.

Judge Bob Northcott says they're 500-600 cases behind.

During the morning session Monday, they saw about 60 people come through municipal court. On average they see only about 50 for the whole day.

The judge even postponed the lunch break to make sure they got through all the cases from the morning.

The move cost the city about $60,000 in construction costs, but Northcott says the Yakima County Fire District 11 building on Washington Avenue is working out great.

"We've had some police officers in today, just to see how things were working. Everybody feels like it's a very efficient operation," said Judge Northcott.

He says it will probably take them a few months to completely catch up.

As far as the ongoing mold problem and what's going to happen to city hall, Mayor Jim Lemon said that the council will discuss another option to buy Yakima County's Restitution Center in Union Gap.

Creek Floods Basement in Patchinsville

Not again. This was the sentiment of Wayland resident Sheila Palmer and town officials as her basement flooded for the second time since April 2011.

The first time it flooded, she lost everything in her basement and had to replace her furnace and hot water tank on her own dime, having been denied flood insurance.

Palmer wasn’t the only residence that had trouble that year. Steuben County declared a county-wide disaster, and after town officials asked Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District to clean out the brush and debris clogging Little Mill Creek, which runs just feet from her house on County Road 90, Jeff Parker, conservation district manager, had 35 other stream emergencies to deal with all on his own.

Parker obtained stream emergency permits from Department of Environmental Conservation, and was set to go on Mill Creek before the cutoff date of Sept. 31.

The stream is protected from Sept. 31 to May 15 due to trout spawning.

But when Parker’s equipment broke down, he missed the cutoff date, and had to wait. Wayland wasn’t the only area Parker couldn’t finish, but he said he was able to finish work on more than half of the 35 streams.

When flooding hit Palmer’s residence this time, the damage was worse. Palmer discovered her basement was flooded early Friday morning when she awoke to get a drink of water. When no water was coming out of her faucet, she proceeded to her basement to see why.

The water had arisen about a foot from the rafters of her basement. “My [basement] stairwell was floating,” she said.

Perkinsville Fire personnel arrived on scene soon after they were called a little before 4:30 a.m. NYSEG was called to cut electrical power to her home to prevent a fire.

“It’s got to be taken care of. I can’t do any more,” she said on scene Friday.

Broken Toilet Pipe Floods Courthouse


ALL three floors of a court building were flooded following a water leak.
A crew from Stranton Fire Station rushed to Hartlepool Law Courts, in Victoria Road, where a broken pipe saw three inches of water drench various areas around offices and stairwells.
Firefighters located the source of the leak, a broken pipe in a toilet, and stopped the leak before mopping up the pools of water.
Watch manager Marty Challenor said: “There was quite a substantial amount of water from a broken pipe in the toilet.
“It affected the first, ground and basement floors, with about three inches of water around stairwells and offices.
“We found the source and managed to stop the leak, before undertaking salvage work by mopping up, clearing water and removing equipment.”
Firefighters spent 40 minutes at the scene, before a Hartlepool Borough Council clean-up team was expected to attend.

Burst Pipe Floods Community Center

A burst pipe in a second-floor men’s restroom flooded portions of St. Joseph Community Center today.

The water flowed through the ceiling and into the lobby outside the U.S. Veterans Affairs clinic in the center.

Marc Mapel, president of Energy Management Specialists, said the water to the building had to be shut off for a time while the leak was repaired.

Cleanup of the damaged ceiling tiles was already underway on the first floor, but there are still inches of standing water in parts of the building, including the Gould Auditorium.

The water damage comes at a time when the future of St. Joe’s is at a crossroads. Lorain city and Lorain County officials are trying to convince the state to support a deal to help keep the cash-strapped center operating.

Others, primarily county Commissioner Tom Williams, have questioned the wisdom of further investment in the aging former hospital.

Fire Damages Day Care in Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach firefighters were called to the scene of a blaze at a daycare on Yaupon Drive after an emergency call was made to dispatchers.

According to fire officials, the call came in at 6:36 a.m. Monday morning. Six Myrtle Beach Fire units were sent to Pat-A-Cake Daycare to extinguish the flames.

Firefighters say the building was 25 percent involved when they arrived, but the fire was contained within approximately 30 minutes.

There is extensive damage to the building but no one was hurt during the incident and firefighters say no one was in the building when crews responded.

Flames was found on the first floor of the nursery area when Myrtle Beach Fire arrived on scene. No mutual aid was needed and fire crews are now investigating how the blaze started.

5/14/12 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Late Afternoon: Isolated showers. Cloudy, with a high near 66. South wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: A chance of rain, mainly after 10pm. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog before 7am. High near 66. South wind between 14 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog after 9pm. Low around 59. South wind between 11 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 69.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 70.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.