1 DEAD, 1 INJURED IN NORTH ST. LOUIS WHEN AN SUV BLEW THROUGH A STOP SIGN AT HIGH SPEED

MARCH 5, 2015

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)

One person died Thursday after a two-vehicle accident in a north St. Louis neighborhood.

The crash happened near the intersection of Fair and Rosalie in the Fairgrounds / O’Fallon neighborhood.

The accident ended with the back of an SUV slamming into the entrance of the St. Paul Temple Missionary Baptist Church, and a second vehicle stopped in the middle of the street.

A woman who witnessed the accident said the SUV was speeding down Rosalie, blew through a stop sign, and struck the other vehicle as it was make a left turn from Fair Avenue onto Rosalie. According to the witness, the man driving the SUV attempted to run away, but was caught by a postal worker and taken back to the accident scene and kept there until police arrived.

An African-American woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV was injured.

DODGE NEON DRIVER IS DEAD AFTER HE CRASHES ONTO STOPPED VEHICLES ON MURRAY BLVD. IN BEAVERTON, OREGON

MARCH 5, 2015

BEAVERTON, OR (KPTV)

Emergency crews were called out to Southwest Murray Boulevard and Weir Road for a fatal crash Thursday.

Investigators said a Dodge Neon heading south on Murray Boulevard hit a Toyota truck and a Toyota sedan stopped at a red light.  The Neon flipped onto its roof in the intersection.

It happened at around 11:30 a.m.

The driver and lone occupant of the Neon was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no immediate word about any other injuries.

Police said more information will be released once family notifications are made.

Drivers were advised to avoid the area for several hours or expect delays. 

FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH ON HWY 99W NEAR MP 30 - YAMHILL COUNTY, OREGON; 1 PERSON WAS INJURED

MARCH 5, 2015

YAMHILL COUNTY, OREGON

Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers are continuing the investigation into this morning's fatal crash on highway 99W near milepost 30, just south of McDougal Junction in Yamhill County. 

Preliminary information from investigators indicates that shortly after 10:00 A.M. today, a Tan Ford SUV was traveling northbound on highway 99W when for undetermined reasons the vehicle crossed the centerline into the southbound lane. 

The Ford collided with a southbound dump truck which was pulling a pup trailer, then crossed back across the northbound lane and rolled over into a ditch. 

The driver of the Ford, identified as MATTHEW B. CHILDRESS, 32, of McMinnville, who was not wearing safety restraints, was partially ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene. 

His front passenger, identified as CHRISTINE A. SCHNEIBLE, 32, of McMinnville, was transported to Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville with serious but non-life threatening injuries. 

The dump truck, owned by Wilkins Trucking and loaded with scrap metal, was driven by RAUL GUTIERREZ-TORRES, 43, of Wood Village, who was not injured and is cooperating with investigators. 

OSP is being assisted by the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Dayton Fire Department and Lafayette Fire Department.

3 DEAD, INCLUDING 4-YEAR OLD GIRL, IN BROOKINGS, OREGON MOBILE HOME FIRE. A FAULTY SPACE HEATER IN THE LIVING ROOM AREA MAY HAVE STARTED THE FIRE.

MARCH 4, 2015

BROOKINGS, OREGON

A grandfather helped his 10-year-old granddaughter escape a burning home and handed her a 1-year-old grandchild with severe burns before succumbing to the heat and the smoke early Wednesday morning, the Curry County Sheriff's Office said.

The fire just outside Brookings claimed the lives of 3 people: Douglas Landers, 54; Kelly Landers, 52; and their 4-year-old granddaughter, Sheriff John Ward said.
Ward said a Brookings Police Officer was the first person on scene of the fire, reported just before 4 a.m.
The officer found the mobile home fully engulfed in flames.
He saw a 10-year-old girl walking away from the fire holding a 1-year-old boy with serious burns, the sheriff said. The officer enlisted a neighbor to watch the children while the officer and firefighters attended to the burning home.
Investigators later determined that Douglas Landers helped the 10-year-old escape the burning home through a small bedroom window and then handed her the 1-year-old.  Landers and his wife and another grandchild died in the fire.
Cal Ore Life Flight air ambulance took the children to Sutter Coast Hospital, where they were joined by their mother. She flew on the air ambulance with the 1-year-old to a hospital in Sacramento, Calif., Ward said. The boy was expected to survive his injuries.
The Brookings Fire Department responded with the help of the Cape Ferrelo Fire Department, the Harbor Fire Department and the Winchuck Fire Department and were able to extinguish the fire, Ward said.
Two State Fire Marshals and two Oregon State Police Fire Investigators responded to the scene along with a Sheriff Detective and a Brookings Detective to try and determine the cause of the fire. 
At this time the origin of the fire is unknown, Ward said, but it is believed it may have been caused by a faulty space heater in the living room area. 

55-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES AFTER JUMPING FROM BALCONY TO FLEE CONDO BUILDING FIRE IN ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS. CAUSE AND ORIGIN OF FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION

MARCH 5, 2015

ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS

A 55-year-old man died after he jumped from a third-floor balcony when a fire broke out Wednesday night in the Rolling Meadows condominium building in which he lived, officials said.

Kenneth Vansickle was pronounced dead after being transported to Northwest Community Hospital, Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote said. Vansickle was found by first responders lying outside the rear of the building at 5201 Carriageway Drive in cardiac arrest.

No other injuries were reported, Franzgrote said.

The three-alarm blaze engulfed the three-story building containing 48 condominium units, Franzgrote said.

A release issued by the department Thursday morning said firefighters received a call at 8:03 p.m. through the Northwest Central Dispatch Center, which was activated by a fire detection system in the roughly 50-year-old building along Algonquin Road.

According to the release, the three floors above ground are not protected by a fire suppression system.  However, the below level parking garage is protected by a fire suppression system.

The exact cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday morning. The building sustained significant damage from fire, smoke and water and many residents were displaced during the below-zero temperatures Wednesday night.

Teresa Pfister, a resident of the Rolling Meadows complex, said she arrived home Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m., jumped into her pajamas and popped open her computer, only to be startled by the fire alarm five minutes later.

“I opened up my patio door, looked out and up, and saw flames shooting out 10 to 20 feet in the air from unit 303 above me,” said Pfister, 60, a professional business writer who lived in the building at 5201 Carriageway Drive for more than 20 years. “Then there was this loud boom, something had exploded, and my apartment shook. I was jarred by it.”

Pfister grabbed her coat, purse and computer and headed out into the frigid temperatures with the dozens of other neighbors to watch the building go up in smoke. Some residents headed down the street to a warming bus provided by the city.

“People were huddling together and crying,” said Pfister, who said she only vaguely knew Vansickle, her neighbor and the lone fatality in the three-alarm fire. She said he was quiet and was home a lot alone but would always wave when she saw him. She confirmed she did see his wife outside the building last night. Pfister explained it was a “really nice building,” with many children living there.

Pfister said she was in shock last night. She stayed with family, while many neighbors who were displaced headed to area hotels. When she went to Meijer Thursday to buy a pair of jeans, the shock subsided.

“It hit me, my staff is all gone. Everything will be destroyed. And I began to cry,” she said, as she surveyed the outside of the building Thursday morning.

On the scene with the fire marshal Thursday investigating the cause of the fire, Franzgrote confirmed that the southeast portion of the building, the site of Pfister’s condo, was totally demolished in the blaze but he suspects other residents may be able to return to the building at some point in the next day or so.

Sprinkler systems were not inside any of the housing units in the building, he confirmed, and may have contributed to the blaze. However, the underground garage did have sprinklers for vehicle fires. Franzgrote said the building met city codes.

Annette Byrd, vice president of property manager Associa of Chicagoland-Schaumburg, asked that residents who are seeking updates, access and assistance with their insurance claims to contact Associa at 847-490-3833. She could not immediately say how many people lived in the building.

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke and flames shooting into the air from the third floor in the rear of the building. The fire continued past 10 p.m., leaving many firefighters covered in ice from the water hoses spraying from the ladder trucks.

A Mutual Aid Box Alarm (MABAS) was activated and 20 units and 104 firefighters from neighboring departments brought the fire under control by 11:52 p.m., according to the release.

Those departments included Palatine, Palatine Rural, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Township, Streamwood, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Lake Zurich, Wood Dale, Roselle, Itasca, Long Grove, Prospect Heights, Bloomingdale, Rosemont, Northbrook, Hanover Park, North Maine and Addison.

The Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, Rolling Meadows Police Department and the Rolling Meadows Fire Department were on the scene Thursday morning continuing their investigation.