Electrical malfunction blamed in fatal fire that took the life of 91-year-old Eleanor Scott Modrak in Coweta County, Georgia
By Clay Neely
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December 15, 2017
Authorities believe a fatal house fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.
“A fire investigator with my office has determined that this fire started in the attic of the home and that it was electrical in nature", according to Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.
The fire took the life of 91-year-old Eleanor Scott Modrak. Her grandson, Jeff Scott, 51, who is legally blind, escaped the fire with minor injuries. The blaze destroyed the home.
The fire happened at a home at on the 2418 North Highway 29.
Crews arrived to the residence at 3:30 a.m. and discovered the home was over 50 percent involved, according to Commander Bryan Fuller with Coweta County Fire Rescue.
Bystanders were able to move one of the residents away from the structure prior to the arrival of firefighters, and the resident confirmed a person was still inside the home, Fuller said.
Fire crews made an aggressive attempt to locate the victim, but had to change over to a defensive strategy because conditions inside the home were deteriorating quickly, according to Fuller.
Highway 29 was closed for several hours while crews battled the blaze, according to Major Mark Fenninger with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
This death is the 91st residential housing fatality in Georgia for 2017.
During the fire on Highway 29, personnel from Coweta County Fire Rescue also battled a structure fire on 35 East Haynes Street in Newnan.
Firefighters received the call at 3:45 a.m. The resident told firefighters he was the only one inside and made it out safely through a window, according to Fuller.
Crews made an aggressive offensive strategy attack but had to transfer into a defensive strategy attack due to hostile fire conditions. Crews were able to bring the fire under control. The cause of this fire is also under investigation.
Flames shot up as high as nearby trees after an oil tanker carrying 3,700 gallons of fuel in Lake Grove collided with two vehicles Saturday morning, engulfing at least one vehicle — but there were no reported injuries, Suffolk County fire officials said.
The collision closed a busy commercial stretch of Route 25 / Middle Country Road in Lake Grove for most of the day.
The truck overturned near the corner of Main Avenue about 6:15 a.m., Suffolk County fire officials said. Route 25 was closed between Stony Brook Road / Hawkins Avenue and Wood Road until 3 p.m. The eastbound and westbound lanes at Middle Country Road were later opened, officials said.
The Centereach Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. The cause of the accident was unclear, officials said. Additional details about the vehicles involved were not available. Centereach Fire Chief of Department Robert L. Corley declined to comment.
Nearby residents Frank Russo and his girlfriend Emily McDonald, of Wood Road, said they were woken in the early morning hours by the sound of an explosion.
“It was like a loud ‘Bang!’ and then a few minutes later, there was something that sounded like a loud ‘Boom!’ ” Russo said.
The couple went outside later to a fire with flames shooting up into the air.
“It’s a miracle no one was hurt,” Russo said.
Workers from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation along with Brookhaven Town fire marshals were at the scene Saturday morning. Responders used small bulldozers and shovels to clean up the site. Power lines were down at Middle Country Road and Coles Drive.
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LAKE GROVE, Long Island (WABC) -- An accident involving a home heating oil truck sparked a huge fire on Long Island Saturday morning.
Suffolk County Police received the initial call at 6:13 a.m. after the crash involving two cars and the truck at Route 25 and Main Avenue in Lake Grove.
The truck carrying nearly 4,000 gallons of home heating oil flipped over, causing a large fire that engulfed all three vehicles.
Everyone inside the vehicles was able to get out safely.
No significant injuries have been reported.
A crash involving a heating oil truck sparked a massive fire.
The fire was so big it knocked out power lines - causing outages in the area.
Route 25 between Wood Road and Hawkins Road is expected to be closed all day for the investigation and cleanup.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area.
DUMONT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) —
A home in New Jersey sustained heavy damage in an early morning fire, and authorities say a charging hoverboard is to blame.
The Dumont Fire Department was called to a home on Hazel Street for a report of a self-balancing scooter on fire.
Responding units entered the home and encountered a heavy fire conditions throughout the basement, according to the Dumont Volunteer Fire Department.
The main fire was placed under control quickly, but authorities say it took almost two hours to extinguish hot spots throughout the home.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the home was uninhabitable.
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On a night Santa was to be escorted through Dumont by the department, firefighters instead had to battle a blaze on Hazel Street Friday reportedly started by a hoverboard.
The hoverboard caught fire around 7:10 p.m. and flames spread to the house up to the second floor causing serious damage, according to reports.
No injuries were reported and the fire was under control within an hour.
A message left for Dumont Fire Chief Dan Molinaro seeking more information was not immediately returned.
Firefighters from Cresskill, Tenafly, and Bergenfield assisted at the scene.
A makeup date for Santa's ride through town with the fire department was not announced as of Friday night.
Dumont Volunteer Fire Department
Last night, the Dumont Fire Department was dispatched to 112 Hazel St. for a reported hover board on fire. Upon arrival by Chief Molinaro, there was heavy smoke showing from the front of the home. Crews entered the building and located heavy fire conditions throughout the basement that was quickly spreading upstairs into the first floor kitchen. The main body of fire was knocked down quickly, however extensive overhaul was necessary to knock down hot spots. Crews were on scene for over two hours. Thanks to the Dumont Police Dept., Dumont Ambulance, and the surrounding towns who assisted on scene.
