.BURST PIPES CLOSE ASHEVILLE CITY HALL FOR REMAINDER OF WEEK

BURST PIPES CLOSE ASHEVILLE CITY HALL, NC FOR REMAINDER OF WEEK

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — 

A burst pipe believed to have been caused by freezing weather led to an evacuation of Asheville City Hall and is expected to keep municipal offices closed for another day.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports (http://avlne.ws/17nHkCs) the pipe burst on the seventh floor in the middle of the day Thursday.

City spokeswoman Dawa Hitch said customer service calls can still be made Friday and will be transferred to an answering service. All city facilities, with the exception of City Hall, will operate normally on Friday. Public safety and water service will not be affected by the closure.

All city board and commission meetings scheduled for Friday are canceled.

Across the state, school systems either delayed the start of classes or canceled classes entirely on Thursday because of the cold temperatures.

The National Weather Service issued a series of warnings and advisories across the state.

Portions of eastern and coastal North Carolina were warned of the threat of patchy freezing drizzle early Friday morning, although significant accumulations were not expected.

In the mountains, forecasters warned of cold weather that would stretch into the weekend with wind chills into the single digits.

The weather service also said there was a threat of wildfires for the piedmont and just east of the mountains because of wind conditions and low humidity. The conditions are expected to persist into Saturday.

Duke Energy reiterated its call for customers in the Carolinas to conserve electricity by cutting back on nighttime usage to help ease the load on its grid.

EVACUATION ORDER IN PITTSBURG NEIGHBORHOOD LIFTED, RAILCAR NOT LEAKING PROPANE BUT LUBRICATING OIL

EVACUATION ORDER IN PITTSBURG NEIGHBORHOOD LIFTED, RAILCAR NOT LEAKING PROPANE BUT LUBRICATING OIL

January 7, 2015 10:03 PM

PITTSBURG (CBS SF) — An evacuation order in Pittsburg has been lifted Wednesday evening after a leak on a railcar at a Union Pacific Railroad yard that was initially thought to be flammable propane turned out to be lubricating oil, according to a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District official.

Six homes on Warren Way were evacuated after the suspected propane leak was reported around 5:15 p.m. at the yard on North Parkside Drive west of Railroad Avenue, district Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said.

A 30,000-gallon propane tank car showed signs of a leak, Marshall said.

No injuries were reported, he said.

Pittsburg police and Contra Costa County hazardous materials crews also responded to the scene, Marshall said.

2-VEHICLE CRASH CAUSES SEMI-TRUCK TO JACK-KNIFE AND RELEASE ALUMINUM COILS ONTO I-80/94 IN GARY, INDIANA

2-VEHICLE CRASH CAUSES SEMI-TRUCK TO JACK-KNIFE AND RELEASE ALUMINUM COILS ONTO I-80/94 IN GARY, INDIANA

Until 5 p.m. Thursday all roadway lanes except the inner shoulder were closed for police investigation and re-loading of the coils

Indiana State Police

Thursday, Jan 8, 2015 • Updated at 7:02 PM CST

A three vehicle crash on westbound I-80/94 caused a semi-truck to spill aluminum coils onto the interstate Thursday in Gary, Indiana, police reported.

At about 2 p.m. a 72-year-old man was merging onto I-80 westbound from the I-65 northbound ramp when he lost control of his Chevrolet HHR and spun sideways, crashing into the driver’s door of a Ford pickup truck that was in the roadway’s right lane, preliminary investigator Jerry George reported.

The collision pushed the pickup truck in front of a Volvo semi-truck pulling a box trailer that was traveling in the middle lane. When the driver of the semi swerved to try to avoid the pickup, it caused his semi to jack-knife, according to the police report.

The semi was carrying aluminum coils weighing a total of 25,000 pounds, police said. Three of the five coils the semi was carrying spilled out onto the middle of the roadway in the incident.

The victims of the crash were taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital to treat non-life threatening injuries. They were all wearing their seat belts, according to police.

Until 5 p.m. Thursday all roadway lanes except the inner shoulder were closed for police investigation and re-loading of the coils.

FORD F-150 TRUCK STRIKES REAR OF 18-WHEELER. THE 18-WHEELER, WHILE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON 547, WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN INTO A PARKING LOT, WHEN IT WAS HIT.

Ford F-150 Truck Strikes Rear of 18-Wheeler.  The 18-wheeler, while traveling southbound on 547, was in the process of making a left-hand turn into a parking lot, when it was hit.

Posted: Jan 08, 2015 9:39 PM EST Updated: Jan 08, 2015 9:41 PM EST 

By WJTV Staff

Truck Strikes Rear of 18-Wheeler

JANUARY 8, 2015 - According to Trooper Eric Henry of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, a Ford F-150, traveling northbound on Highway 547 in Claiborne County, struck the rear trailer of an 18-wheeler from KD Enterprises out of Patterson, MS. The incident occurred around 6:17 pm.

The 18-wheeler, while traveling southbound on 547, was in the process of making a left-hand turn into a parking lot, when it was hit. 

Logan Carr, the driver of the Ford, was taken to UMC with non-life-threatening injuries. Passengers, Michael Carr and Gabrel Hardgrove, were also taken to UMC. The extent of their injuries are unkown.

John Haywood, the driver of 18-wheeler, was not injured in the accident.

Authorities say no foul play is suspected.

FIREPLACE IS RULED THE CAUSE OF FIRE AT NFL COACH’S HOME

FIREPLACE IS RULED THE CAUSE OF FIRE AT NFL COACH’S HOME

01/07/2015

A fire earlier this week at the home of Carolina Panthers Coach Ron Rivera underscores the importance of heating safety. According to ESPN.com, 55 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire at the Rivera home in the early morning hours on Monday. They found heavy smoke and flames coming from the home when they arrived and had to cut a hole in the roof to get it under control.

Everyone got out safely. The Charlotte Fire Department ruled the fire accidental and caused by the fireplace. Rivera is quoted as saying that his brothers had been watching football all day and the fireplace was on for a number of hours. He said at bedtime the fireplace was shut down but it somehow “smoldered and kicked into high gear later.”

Rivera had high praise for the work of the Charlotte Fire Department. “It’s a heck of a thing to watch their teamwork.When you talk about teamwork, they were tremendous.”