May 18 2015

In The Lead: Carnegie / The Comeback Continues

Hans and Virginia Gruenert wanted to start a theater company when they lived in New York City. That’s where you’d do something like that.

But Off the Wall Theater Co. was destined to be born in Western Pennsylvania when Mr. Gruenert’s work brought the couple here in 2007. And after five years in Washington, Pa., they found a better fit in Carnegie.

Their decision happened to mesh with the borough’s trajectory of late.

The economic doldrums that gripped the region for years didn’t miss Carnegie. Then in 2004, when Chartiers Creek overran the business district as a remnant of Hurricane Ivan, dozens of businesses were damaged and many did not return.

http://www.post-gazette.com/in-the-lead-2015/reports/2015/05/14/In-The-Lead-Carnegie-The-comeback-continues

Apr 10 2015

Owners Of Burned-Out McDonald’s In Ephrata To Begin Rebuilding

The owners of a burned-out McDonald’s in Ephrata plan to soon begin tearing down the old restaurant and building a new one that could be open by mid-July.

The McDonald’s at 140 N. Reading Road in the Cloister Shopping center was destroyed by a fire last June.

http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/owners-of-burned-out-mcdonald-s-in-ephrata-to-begin/article_38b10996-df7e-11e4-b95b-c30bb5aceab5.html

Jan 24 2015

Monessen Teenager Charged In Arson Spree

Monessen police have accused a 17-year-old boy of setting or attempting to set three fires Jan. 16 and 17.

The boy, who was charged as a juvenile and has not been identified, lives near the fire scenes, according to court documents.

The first fire occurred Jan. 16 at a building on 10th Street. No charges have been filed in that incident.

While firefighters were battling that blaze, the boy allegedly set a building on fire at 1220 Knox Ave.

Oct 11 2014

Details Sparse In Deaths Of Cooper CEO And Wife

Map of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nearly two weeks after Cooper University Health System chief executive John P. Sheridan Jr. and his wife, Joyce, were found in their home, authorities have released few details about their deaths.

Several days after the fire in the couple’s Central New Jersey home, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said it was deliberately set.

Sheridan, 72, and his wife, 69, were found unresponsive in the second-floor master bedroom of their Montgomery Township home early Sept. 28. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and she was pronounced dead a short time later at a nearby hospital.

Authorities have not disclosed who they believe set the fire or why, or what led to the deaths of the prominent couple.

Oct 3 2014

Woman Killed, Man Burned In 2-Alarm House Fire In Northern Lancaster County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An elderly woman was killed and an elderly man burned in a two-alarm fire that destroyed a home in northern Lancaster County Friday morning, officials reported.

A person had been reportedly trapped in the 12:30 fully-involved blaze at 1280 Texter Mountain Road in Reinholds, West Cocalico Township, a county dispatch supervisor said.

An 87-year-old woman died in the fire, an investigator said.

Lancaster County Deputy Coroner Robert Granzow pronounced her dead at the scene. County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said an external exam of her body will be done later Friday morning.

Sep 29 2014

Cooper Health Executive John Sheridan, Wife Found Dead After Fire In Home

Map of the 21 counties of the State of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Arson and major crimes detectives were investigating a fire at the home of John P. Sheridan Jr., president and CEO of the Cooper University Health System, and his wife – whose bodies were found in their bedroom Sunday morning, authorities said.

Firefighters found Sheridan, 72, and his wife, Joyce, 69, when they were called to the couple’s home in Skillman, Somerset County, in central New Jersey. Neighbors saw smoke coming from the house but no flames.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said detectives from its arson task force and the major crimes unit assigned to the case had been joined by the crime scene investigation and forensic units.

The New Jersey regional medical examiner was scheduled to perform autopsies. No preliminary information had been released on the suspected cause of death.

Aug 12 2014

Building Collapses In Philipsburg Causing Power Outage

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILIPSBURG, PA — The former Philipsburg commercial building on Pine and 11th streets, gutted by a fire in June, was scheduled for demolition Tuesday.

Overnight, it got a head start.

Monday, shortly before midnight, the upper section of the vacant building along Pine Street collapsed from wind and rain, spraying bricks onto the sidewalk and street and knocking out power in the neighborhood.

Apr 3 2014

2-Alarm Fire Destroys $1 Million House In Northern Lancaster County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 2-alarm fire destroyed a $1 million home under construction in East Cocalico Township Thursday morning, fire officials said.

The owner/founder of Four Seasons Produce, David Hollinger, and his wife, Debbie, had planned to move into the largely-finished, 6,600-square-foot home in September.

Neighbors reported the 3:30 a.m. blaze at 755 White Oak Road.

Wailing fire engine sirens woke members of the Hollingers’ two children’s families who live nearby.

Feb 17 2014

Pennsylvania Gas Well Blaze Extinguishes Itself

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Greene County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A fire that burned for four days at a gas well in rural Greene County went out by itself, but officials said on Sunday they will approach the site very cautiously to stop the gas leaking from two damaged well heads.

For reasons that were still unclear, the methane gas that was pouring from one of the three wells on the pad decreased in volume and the fire extinguished itself about 3 p.m. Saturday, said Bill Zempolich, manager for asset development out of the Moon office of Chevron, which owns the well in Dunkard.

The fire had been going out intermittently, but the gas kept hitting a superheated crane left on the pad and reigniting. Crews at the site used a laser Saturday to determine the crane cooled and shouldn’t re-ignite the gas, said Scott Perry, deputy secretary for the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas Management.

Feb 11 2014

One Missing, One Hurt In Gas Well Explosion In Greene County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Greene County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oil and gas giant Chevron Corp. is flying a disaster team to Western Pennsylvania to tame a fire raging at a well that exploded Tuesday morning in Greene County, injuring one worker and leaving another missing.

Chevron spokesman Trip Oliver said the fire was reported at about 6:45 a.m. at the Lanco 7H well in Dunkard, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. Oliver said one person is hospitalized and another is unaccounted for.

“Chevron’s primary concern at this point is to contain the fire and ensure the safety of its employees, contractors and the surrounding community,” Oliver said.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel have been unable to go near the burning well since the explosion, because of its size and heat, officials said. State police set up a half-mile perimeter around the well as a precaution. From that distance, the burning well sounded like a jet engine.

Jan 27 2014

Fire Guts Friendship Farm Market In Amity

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AMITY TOWNSHIP, PA — More than a dozen fire companies responded to a fire that destroyed much of Friendship Farm Market on Route 662 Sunday night.

Firefighters responded quickly after those living near the restaurant heard a loud “boom,” saw a wall of flames and called 911 around 7:45 p.m.

“We heard a big boom. It sounded like a car backfiring,” said Jared Martz, who lives diagonally across the street from the restaurant. “It sounded like glass breaking.”

Going to the windows with his family, Martz said he saw an entire wall of the restaurant on the 700 block of Route 662 engulfed by flames which went about “20 feet in the air.”

They then called 911.

Nov 29 2013

At Least 36 Displaced In Carbondale Fire

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo Wikipedia)

The fire alarm was piercing, but it had sounded plenty of times in the 15 years Mary Gerzie has lived in Building L of Carbondale’s Summit Garden Apartments. What really frightened her was the thick black smoke that billowed into her apartment when she opened her door.

Then came the shouts of “get out of here.”

Mrs. Gerzie, 72, was one of at least 36 people that were taken out of the apartment complex and into the lightly falling snow Friday morning while firefighters worked to stop a fire on the first floor, said Carbondale Fire Chief Chris Pezak.

“The smoke was so intense,” said Chief Pezak of the fire that damaged part of the building around 8 a.m.. “It was very thick black smoke.”

Sep 13 2013

Raging Fire Strikes At Heart Of Sandy-Hit New Jersey Town

Map of New Jersey highlighting Ocean County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SEASIDE PARK, N.J. – A raging fire spewing fist-sized embers engulfed much of an iconic Jersey shore boardwalk Thursday, destroying more than 50 businesses and undoing months of rebuilding efforts after the inundation of Superstorm Sandy.

Workers joined the fire in tearing into the boardwalk – a last-ditch effort to rob the inferno of fuel that helped preserve what was left of the economic lifeblood of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights.

The wind-whipped fire devoured eight blocks of boardwalk – four in each town – and caused millions of dollars in damage before workers halted its advance by ripping out a large section of boardwalk and piling up huge makeshift sand dunes meant to hold back fire, not water.

The blaze destroyed 32 businesses on the Seaside Park portion of the boardwalk, borough Councilwoman Nancy Koury told The Associated Press. Michael Loundy, a real estate agent who works with Seaside Heights on tourism projects, said 20 businesses were destroyed there.

Aug 24 2013

Blaze Destroys Mahanoy City Firetruck, Guts Fire Station

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Schuylkill County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A fire that broke out this morning in Mahanoy City destroyed an aerial truck and gutted the historic fire station, hours before a parade of 485 vehicles was to commence in celebration of the community’s 150th anniversary and annual firefighters convention.

The fire broke out at about 4:35 a.m. at Washington Hook and Ladder Co., producing heavy, black smoke and extensive damage to the brick structure in Schuylkill County. The aerial truck, which The Pottsville Republican Herald reports cost $249,500 in 2011, also was destroyed.

Two firefighters sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, fire officials said Saturday morning.

Jul 8 2013

Firefighters investigating Back-To-Back Fires In Harrisburg As Possibly Related Arsons

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Harrisburg resident Michael Bordner had just put his eldest daughter to bed in his home at 2042 Susquehanna Street when, just after midnight Monday morning, chaos erupted.

“I laid down at about midnight and then, at about 12:15, I heard all the alarms going off in my home,” he said. “At the same time I heard my stepfather saying ‘Get [your daughter] grab the dog; we have to get out, there’s a fire!'”

Bordner’s stepfather, Tim Bucher, who was visiting the house Sunday night, had woken up only moments before when he noted a strange smell and bright light emanating from the row house next door at 2044 Susquehanna Street.

“I peeked out the third floor window because something didn’t smell right,” Bucher recalled, almost from a daze Monday morning as firefighters stomped up the ruined stairs to Bordner’s home. “It didn’t smell like a fire, but when I looked out the window and looked down I saw flames coming up from the floor below.”

Jul 6 2013

2 Killed, 49 Badly Hurt In San Francisco International Airport Plane Crash

Map of California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAN FRANCISCO — Two people were killed and 49 people were seriously injured Saturday when a Boeing 777 passenger jetliner arriving from Seoul crashed and caught fire while landing at San Francisco International Airport, officials said.

The plane, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 with 307 people onboard, slammed to earth at 11:27 a.m. and came to rest on the side of Runway 28L, one of four runways at SFO, said Lynn Lunsford, a spokeswoman with the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane appeared to make impact short of the runway and then spin as it careened across the ground – losing its tail and leaving a trail of debris.

There were 291 passengers and 16 crew members aboard. Two people were killed, 49 were seriously hurt, another 132 suffered lesser injuries and went to area hospitals, and one person was unaccounted for, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said at an evening press conference at the airport. The other 123 people onboard were not injured.

The injuries “are consistent with the types of injuries you would see in a plane crash or fire,” said Rachael Kagan, a spokeswoman at San Francisco General Hospital, where five people were in critical condition. “Many burns, fractures and internal injuries.”

May 13 2013

4 Kids, 2 Adults Die In Pottsville House Fire

View of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Six people are dead after flames tore through a single home in Pottsville around midnight Sunday.

Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Joseph Pothering identified those killed as Eric Brown, 30, and his children Joy Brown, 8; Jeremiah Brown, 7; Emily Brown, 3; and, Elijah Brown, 2.

Also killed was Christina Thomas, 26, the children’s aunt and sister-in-law of Eric Brown.

May 12 2013

Fire Response Time Questioned In Wilkes-Barre

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WILKES-BARRE, PA — While children crawled through the city’s fire safety trailer at Kirby Park eight days ago, a homeowner on Almond Lane waiting for an engine to arrive from across town used a garden hose in an attempt to douse flames.

The fire, started by spontaneous combustion of grass clippings in a plastic recycling container climbed up to the second floor, causing damage inside and out before firefighters extinguished them.

“They got it,” said Greg Freitas, vice president of the city firefighters’ union.

But the damage could have been minimized with more firefighters and equipment available, a long-running sticking point with the International Association of Firefighters Local 104 which has seen the minimum staffing level reduced by more than one-third over a 10-year period.

May 7 2013

Woman Found Dead In North Coventry House Fire

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NORTH COVENTRY TOWNSHIP — Officials believe the fire in a Mount Zion Avenue home where a woman was found dead Tuesday morning was accidental in nature.

Township Fire Marshal Ron Comtois said there was nothing suspicious about the fire, though its cause and origins are not yet being released.

Comtois said the patrolman who came upon the fire around 3:58 a.m. attempted to enter the home but could not and called the fire department.

Responding firefighters discovered a deceased woman, whom officials were not identifying, on the kitchen floor of the home.

Apr 7 2013

Hazleton Police Chief Warns Business Owners To Get Their Licenses

Downtown Hazleton, PA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note: Kickin’ ass and takin’ names in Hazleton! Booya!

Police Chief Frank DeAndrea is giving a warning out to businesses operating in Hazleton to have their licenses and make sure that they are in conformity to the city’s codes.

The Hazleton Police Department is going to work in unison with the city’s fire, health, code enforcement, and highway departments in a new city-wide initiative called “Operation Clean Street.”

Set to begin in a week or two, the initiative will pull all of the departments’ resources in an effort to beautify the city’s streets and crack down on delinquent businesses.

According to DeAndrea, the operation will begin at the intersection of Diamond Avenue and Wyoming Street in which the fire department will bring a truck in to hose down and wash all debris from the streets and sidewalks.

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