MEC&F Expert Engineers : 11/15/17

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

House fire in Milford, DE was caused by an operating electric space heater igniting combustible materials that were too close to the heater; no operating smoke alarms; $100K in damages




MILFORD, Del. - 


The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office says that a house fire that happened on Wednesday morning in Milford was accidental.

The fire was reported by one of the home's residents on Wednesday at 11:20 AM on South Washington Street, in Milford. The Carlisle Fire Company responded to the call and arrived with heavy fire and smoke coming from the first floor of the home.

Firefighters initially came into the home to control the fire, but due to deteriorating conditions inside, they were forced to evacuate.

Minutes after firefighters left the home, the home began to collapse. Help was immediately requested with Houston, Frederica, Harrington, Ellendale and Greenwood Fire Companies responding. The fire was placed under control shortly after 1:00 PM with no injuries reported.

Deputy fire marshals responded to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. Deputy fire marshals determined that the fire started in the first floor living room and that it was caused by an operating electric space heater igniting combustible materials that were too close.

The home did not have operating smoke detectors. The Red Cross of Delmarva is helping the residents of the home, with damages listed at $100,000.

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Officials are currently on the scene of a blaze at a Milford home, after they say the house partially collapsed, on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Carlisle Fire Company, units responded to the fire at 11:21 AM, on South Washington Street. in Milford.Other fire units are currently assisting the Carlisle Fire Company. Officials tell us that no one was injured and that there was a partial home collapse.


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Milford House Fire Causing $100K in Damages

November 15, 2017
MILFORD, Del. - The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined a house fire on S. Washington St. was accidental and caused approximately $100,000 worth in damages.

The fire was reported by one of the home’s occupants around 11 a.m. and Carlisle Fire Company was the first to respond on scene. According to the department, the smoke was coming from the first floor of the home. Firefighters say as they were entering the home they were forced to evacuate after the structure began to collapse.

Fire crews from Houston, Frederica, Harrington, Ellendale, and Greenwood assisted with the blaze and the fire was placed under control shortly after 1:00 p.m. with no injuries.

Deputy Fire Marshals conducted an investigation into the cause of the fire and determined the fire was caused by an electric space heater, which ignited other combustible materials close to it.

The Fire Marshal's Office added that the home was not equipped with operating smoke detectors. The Red Cross of Delmarva is assisting the occupants of the home, with damages listed at $100,000.

Hospitals and hotels are dealing with mold claims involving bodily injury, where people with compromised immune systems are becoming ill









NEW YORK, NY — Evolving ransomware risks remain a significant concern for the cyber insurance market, while environmental insurers are carefully monitoring developing mold claims.

A panel of insurance industry experts offered their views on the current state of the property, cyber and environmental markets on Thursday during the 21st annual Policyholder Advisor Conference held by policyholder law firm Anderson Kill P.C. in New York.

On the cyber front, Kelly Geary, managing principal, U.S. cyber practice leader and coverage and claims leader for Integro Insurance Brokers in New York, said the WannaCry and Petya viruses that struck earlier this year “gave the insurance industry a glimpse of what it would be like to have a catastrophic event.”

“Luckily for the domestic market it didn’t really impact them to any great degree, but they’re certainly thinking about it differently than they were before. Ransomware is a $1 billion-a-year industry, so the return on investment for a hacker is incredibly high,” Ms. Geary said.

Ransomware is not going to go away, Ms. Geary added.

“It’s evolving,” she said. “Cyber criminals always seem to be one step ahead of us.”

A number of insurers are offering stand-alone cyber coverage, so supply is outpacing demand, Ms. Geary said.

“With high-risk industries like health care, financial institutions, hospitality, pricing is a little higher there, but still relatively low given the supply that’s out there, and this allows for more negotiable terms.”

Cristin Bullen, senior vice president and Northeast environmental leader for Marsh L.L.C. in New York, discussed cases involving mold, where properties such as hotels and hospitals have been filing significant claims.

“There are a lot of hotels doing renovations and finding that mold is all over the hotel,” she said. “The market is beginning to react. Many of the environmental insurers are starting to apply per-room deductibles, if not declining that class of business altogether.”

Hospitals are dealing with mold claims involving bodily injury, where people with compromised immune systems are becoming ill, Ms. Bullen said.

“That is something that insurers are carefully watching,” she said.

Turning toward natural disasters, Mike Reich, property/casualty broker with Peachtree Special Risk Brokers L.L.C. in Atlanta, noted that 2017 has been an active year, given the number of hurricanes, fires and other events.

“I’ve only been in business for seven years,” he said. “And since I’ve been in business, rates have been declining dramatically. The activity that we’ve finally had has put uncertainty into the market.”

OSHA has fined Bimbo Bakeries USA $122.6K for exposing workers to multiple hazards at its Bellevue, Nebraska, commercial bakery





Nebraska Bakery Faces $122.6K in Penalties for Multiple Workplace Hazards 


November 14, 2017


The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Bimbo Bakeries USA for exposing workers to multiple hazards at its Bellevue, Nebraska, commercial bakery. The company faces $122,625 in proposed penalties.

Investigators cited the bakery for three repeat and three serious violations including lack of machine guarding, failing to provide fall protection, and using a damaged electrical panel box. OSHA cited the company twice before for similar hazards.



The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.



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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited two contractors after an employee suffered severe burns.

OSHA inspected Rock Springs, Wyoming-based Coleman Construction Inc. after an employee suffered third-degree burns when compressed oxygen inside an underground duct caused a fire in May. The subcontractor was cited for “failing to provide mechanical ventilation or an underground air monitoring system and failing to report the hospitalization of the burned employee in a timely manner,” OSHA said in a statement on Wednesday. The agency proposed penalties of $189,762.

In addition, Billings, Montana-based general contractor JTL Group, which does business as Knife River, was cited for not ensuring that safety precautions were taken at the worksite and is facing proposed penalties of $59,754, according to the statement.

“Confined workspaces pose an immediate and substantial danger to workers,” Arthur Hazen, Billings, Montana-based OSHA area director, said in a statement. “It is vitally important that employers properly identify, test, control and ventilate the atmosphere to ensure the safety of workers in confined spaces.”

Representatives for Coleman Construction and JTL Group could not immediately be reached for comment.

A road construction worker is in critical condition and a speeding driver is dead, after the driver flipped his vehicle at the 144th Avenue exit on I-25 in Thornton, CO








THORNTON, Colo. -- Police in Thornton are investigating a one-vehicle crash that killed the driver and critically injured a worker inside a construction zone on Interstate 25 at West 144th Avenue Tuesday morning.

Police say the male driver of a northbound vehicle was exiting I-25 onto the West 144th Avenue off-ramp when he lost control. The vehicle then rolled several times, struck a construction worker and came to a rest on its top near a backhoe.


Thornton Police say the driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The construction worker was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The identities of the victims have yet to be released. It's not clear what contributed to the crash. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.  Most likely the driver was speeding and failed to negotiate the exit curve to the

West 144th Avenue off-ramp.
 
Police closed the off-ramp and one northbound lane on I-25 while police conducted a conducted a fatality collision investigation.

The construction zone is part of the North I-25 project, which will add an express lane and bring express bus service to Fort Collins.

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THORNTON, Colo. -- One person was killed and a construction worker was injured following a rollover crash near Interstate 25 and 144th Avenue on Tuesday, Thornton police said.

Police said it happened around 11:12 a.m. when a black Chevy Camaro lost control while it was on the exit ramp from northbound I-25. The vehicle rolled over several times into a construction zone where it hit the worker.


The construction worker was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

Authorities do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor at this time.



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THORNTON, Colo. (KKTV) - A worker is in critical condition after a driver flipped their vehicle at a construction site off the interstate in Thornton.

The driver was killed. It's not yet clear what caused the crash.

The crash happened at the 144th Avenue exit on I-25 late Tuesday morning. The black sedan could be seen on its roof near a backhoe when news chopper Copter 4 flew over the scene.

Further details are limited at this time. We will update as we learn more.


North I-25 Express Lanes: 120th to Northwest Parkway/E-470






From summer 2016 through winter 2018, CDOT and Hamon Infrastructure will build Express Lanes from 120th Avenue to Northwest Parkway/E-470.

This project will provide increased safety, capacity, and user choice to a rapidly developing region.



Project Facts
Project Cost: $97.5 million
Project Team
Consultant(s): Hamon Infrastructure
Project Manager: Jason Lucerna
Background

In August 2011, CDOT completed a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that includes the North I-25 corridor between US 36 and Colorado Highway 7—one of the most congested stretches of highway in the Denver metro area. This stretch sees an average daily traffic volume of 174,000 vehicles per day. The FEIS identified a preferred alternative for this corridor, which will offer increased safety, capacity and user choice. 


Project Benefits 


Add capacity and ultimately provide the choice of a reliable trip with the addition of one HOV/Express Lane in both directions.


Install an auxiliary lane along northbound I-25 to connect the 136th Avenue on-ramp to the 144th Avenue off-ramp, which will help drivers merge more comfortably between the two interchanges.


Improve driving conditions by resurfacing the roadway.


Address necessary drainage and utility improvements along the corridor.



One worker in a JLG T500J towable boom lift electrocuted to death by a 23 KV line and another worker was injured while trimming a tree on Coventry Street in Akron, Ohio







AKRON, Ohio -- One worker is dead and another worker was injured while trimming a tree on Coventry Street in Akron on Tuesday.

The Akron Fire Department says a 38-year-old man, who worked for a private contractor, touched a live wire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

That power surge ejected a 46-year-old female worker from the lift bucket. She was taken to Akron City Hospital. At last check, police said that her condition seemed to be improving.

A new homeowner had hired the pair to trim trees in the yard of a home he'd just purchased and was planning on renovating.

"The guy up there, he touched the wire, I don't know why, I don't know what happened, and then the whole thing just went into a fireball," said the homeowner, who would only give his first name, Sebastian.

"It just wasn't a pretty sight to see, man, I don't know, I'm still trying to get it out of my head," said a neighbor, who did not want be identified.

"I heard, like a loud boom, my electricity went out in the house, I came outside, they were yelling 'call 911!" said the neighbor.



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AKRON, OH (WOIO) -

The Akron Fire Department reports that one person is dead and another is hospitalized after they were electrocuted while cutting down a tree Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. at 1772 Coventry St.

Akron fire officials reported that both victims were working for a private contractor when the accident occurred.

Neither the business name nor the names of the victims have been released; however, authorities noted that it was a man who died and a woman who was hospitalized.

The two people were a couple hired by the homeowner.

According to a 911 call, the couple was "on fire" following the incident.

Akron police report the electric current from the live wire was so strong that the woman was ejected from her work bucket.

The incident remains under investigation.






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By Doug Livingston
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com

A man died and a woman was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon when the bucket lift they used to trim trees made contact with a high-voltage power line in South Akron.

Authorities with the Akron Fire Department did not release the names of the two workers, who were working on Coventry Street, or their private employer.

A 911 dispatcher contacted FirstEnergy shortly after the incident at 1:13 p.m. Police on scene said the man, who was still in the bucket truck, died. The woman was ejected from the bucket lift and tossed to the ground. Authorities said she was transported to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.

“We try to tell people as much as we can to be aware of power lines no matter what you are doing,” said Mark Durbin, a spokesman for FirstEnergy. “Always look up and be aware of your surrounding to prevent any bad things from happening.

“It’s a very tragic situation.”

Durbin confirmed that the energy company was asked to cut power to the 23 kilo-volt line that feeds up to 500 nearby homes area so that first responders could bring down the body of the man. The bucket lift was lowered to the ground shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Akron Fire Department spokesperson Serjie Lash said the woman is believed to have been thrown from the bucket when the line made contact. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the man’s death.

The incident happened on Coventry Street about halfway between East Wilbeth and Waterloo roads. The house can be seen off Interstate 77 South. FirstEnergy reported between 100 and 500 customers were without power in the area. Ohio Edison restored power when the man’s body was retrieved.

Improper use of a propane blowtorch by 71-year old roof worker Caesar Raynor, started a roof fire at the historic B’nai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael on Patchen and Greene Avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant.









NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A fire broke out at a house of worship in Brooklyn Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out at around 9 a.m. at B’nai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael on Patchen and Greene Avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

It quickly grew to two alarms.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

A 71-year-old man who had been working on the roof is expected to be charged with reckless endangerment for improper use of a blowtorch, according to police.

Video from the scene showed extensive damage to the roof.

Firefighters told CBS2’s Marc Liverman they expect the building was a total loss.

Investigators were set to determine the cause of the fire. Both Torah scrolls were salvaged by firefighters.

Rabbi Baruch Yehudah told Liverman the building had been there since the 1700s and has been a synagogue since about 1860.

“That is absolutely my intention to rebuild right here on this corner,” Yehudah told Liverman. “If God gives us the strength and the ability, right here on this corner B’Nai Adath will rise again, right here on this corner.”



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Fire burns through roof of Brooklyn synagogue; worker charged, officials say

By Nicole Brown and Lauren Cook nicole.brown@amny.com, lauren.cook@amny.com 


November 14, 2017

A worker who was on the roof of a Bed-Stuy synagogue when a fire erupted was charged in connection with the blaze on Tuesday, an NYPD spokesman said.

Caesar Raynor, 71, of Highland Falls, New York, is facing two counts of reckless endangerment after he unintentionally started the fire that burned through the roof of B’nai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael synagogue on Patchen and Greene avenues, according to police and fire officials. The fire, which began around 9:10 a.m., was sparked when Raynor illegally used a propane torch on the flammable roof, the police spokesman said.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze, which burned for more than two hours, according to the FDNY. The fire was placed under control at 11:45 a.m.

The synagogue has been home to the B’nai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael congregation since 1967, according to the congregation’s website.

Three firefighters were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, a spokesman said.



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A worker using a blow torch on the roof of a Brooklyn synagogue is responsible for accidentally sparking a raging fire that tore through the house of worship, authorities said. The torch recovered from the scene. Credit: Paul Martinka

The two-alarm blaze started on the roof of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s B’Nai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael synagogue at around 9:10 a.m. and quickly spread to the interior of the building, according to officials.

It took more than 100 firefighters to battle the blaze, which was extinguished by 11:45 a.m., officials said.

No injuries were reported.

FDNY Deputy Chief Kevin Woods of Battalion 11 said at the scene that the fire started when a pair of workers were on the roof of the two-story structure using electrical equipment.

One of those two workers, a 71-year-old man, was taken into custody at the scene and charges of reckless endangerment were pending, cops said.

“In these old houses of worship — synagogues, churches — fire starts very rapidly in the void areas,” Woods said, noting that the building is more than a century old.

He added: “We moved in with an aggressive interior attack. We extinguished a tremendous amount of fire.”

Firefighters managed to retrieve several Torah scrolls from the synagogue.

“They seemed to be in pretty good condition, the scrolls,” Woods said.

The blaze, which damaged the structural integrity of the building, was not believed to be suspicious, officials said.

“This has been a part of my life all my life,” Rabbi Baruch Yehudah who rushed to the Patchen Avenue synagogue, said. Modal TriggerPaul Martinka

He noted that he’s glad the Torah’s were salvaged, but worried about the condition they were in.

“They got them out. I don’t know what the condition of the Torah’s are…The water damage is overwhelming,” said Yehudah, who had his bris done at the synagogue in 1969.

He said members of the synagogue have been frantically calling him all morning.

“[I tell them] ‘God is good, just say your prayers and we’ll know more later,’” Yehudah said.

Congregant Kalelah Cooper called the synagogue “our home,” adding “this is where we come to worship.”



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A 71-year-old man is in custody after police said he set fire to the roof of a historic synagogue in Brooklyn while working there Tuesday morning.

No one was inside the Bnai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael synagogue on Patchen Avenue in Brooklyn-Stuyvesant when the fire broke out, so firefighters focused on rescuing sacred scrolls and Torahs.

Fire officials said two men were working on the roof, one of them using a blow torch, when one of them, Caesar Raynor, allegedly set it on fire. Police have charged Raynor with reckless endangerment.

"There were two men on the roof," said the Rev. Patrick Henry, a pastor at a church down the block who saw the fire break out. "And they were running in, and appears that one came out with a bucket of water to pour on the flames. We began to call out to him, concerned about his safety."


Fire officials said the flames spread quickly, largely because the synagogue was built so long ago.

"Many of these old houses of worship, these synagogues, these churches, they're very old," said FDNY Deputy Chief Kevin Woods. "They have many voids, and the fire travels in these hidden voids, so it's a very, very difficult fire to fight."

The synagogue was built more than 100 years ago and has changed hands over the years, according to Rabbi Baruch Yehudah. It now belongs to the Bnai Adath Kol Beth Yisrael, an African American Jewish congregation that identifies as Israelites.

"This breaks my heart because I've been here as long as I can remember," said congregant Kavah Levi. "I've serviced God in this place here, and to see it in this condition, I feel lost."

"This is our home, we've been here since '67," said Yehudah. "There are people that have been members of this congregation for over 50 years. It's heartbreaking."

It's not clear if Raynor has an attorney who could comment on the charges.