I 26 W Incident

On December 29^th, 2008 at 21:03, the Johnson City Fire Department responded two Fire engines and a Shift Commander vehicle to a Motor Vehicle Incident on I-26. At approximately 9 pm an Averett Express freight truck struck a low hanging fiber optic cable crossing I-26 W, near exit 15. The windshield of the truck was damaged and the driver was transported to the JCMCH for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.  East and West bound traffic was stopped for several minutes.  Authorities stated that repair cost for the fiber optic cable would be in the thousands of dollars.

 

Lt. Robert C. Johnson

Johnson City Fire Department

Fire Station Five

205 Broyles Drive

Johnson City, TN 37601

423.283.5804

423.676.6599

rjohnson@johnsoncitytn.org

FireDept@johnsoncitytn.org

www.johnsoncitytn.org

Apartment Fire

   On December 22 at 449 a.m., the Johnson City Fire Dept. responded to an apartment fire at 707 Carter Sells road. Three engines, a ladder truck, and a manpower truck answered the alarm that was called in by occupants in the apartment building complaining of smoke. The fire was found in a first floor apartment and was contained to the bedroom. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire stemmed from clothes being against a wall heater. The Johnson City Fire Dept. would like to stress to the public that most electric wall heaters and portable electric heaters work on a thermostat that do not actually have an "OFF" position. Never assume they cannot come on unless they have been unplugged or the power has been cut off to them.

 

Lt. Tommy Verran

Johnson City Fire Dept.

Fire Station Four

800 W. Main Street

Johnson City , Tn.37604

423-975-2850 {w}

423-791-4386 {C}

W. Market Wal-Mart Fire

On December 20, 2008, at 22:22:06, seven Johnson City Fire Department apparatus were dispatched to a structure fire at the Wal-Mart located at 2915 West Market St. A fire was discovered in the dressing room area in the center of the store. The structure was evacuated and the fire was partially extinguished by Wal-Mart staff, using a dry chemical extinguisher, prior to Fire Department arrival. Smoke removal, overhaul and salvage were performed by the Fire Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Fire Marshal Mike Freeman. Wal-Mart management estimated the dollar loss from damage to be approximately $70,000.00.

 

Fire Department Incident Command: Captain Steve Weaver,  sweaver@johnsoncitytn.org, 423-975-2840

Fire Investigation: Johnson City Assistant Fire Marshal: Mike Freeman. mfreeman@johnsoncitytn.org, 434-5833

 

Originally posted: December 20, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lt. Robert C. Johnson

Johnson City Fire Department

Fire Station Five

205 Broyles Drive

Johnson City, TN 37601

423.283.5804

423.676.6599

rjohnson@johnsoncitytn.org

FireDept@johnsoncitytn.org

www.johnsoncitytn.org

Structural Fire @ 310 W Unaka Ave

NEWS RELEASE

######

On December 8th at 7:36 p.m., the Johnson City Fire Department responded to a structural fire at 310 W Unaka Ave. 

 

Upon arrival, units found light smoke visible on the exterior of the home. Initially, the occupant had reported the fire was in the basement; however, upon further investigation it was determined the fire was in the attic. Crews accessed the attic. The fire was burning in the attic as well as an interior wall in a bedroom. The occupant of the home was able to evacuate the home with her dog prior to arrival of the fire department. There were no injuries. 

 

An aggressive attack by first arriving companies quickly contained the fire to the areas of origin. The fire was brought under control at 8:06 p.m. The crews remained on the scene for a couple of more hours working to insure the fire was completely extinguished. These efforts were complicated because of involvement of cellulose insulation in the attack.

 

The fire was determined to have ignited when the electrical wiring in the attic suffered a failure. The home's wiring was an obsolete-type of wiring commonly found in home constructed during the 1930's and 1940's. The damage indicated the fire had been burning for some time prior its discovery by the occupant. "The damage to the attic and ceiling indicated the fire had been burning for a long time", said Lt. Barry Richardson. "It is possible its burned for more than four to five hours before we received the call", he stated.

 

The home had smoke detectors in the living area, but there were no detectors in the attic. The detectors failed to operate. This is the second time in two days where smoke detectors were absent or failed to operate. According to Lt. Jason Powell, "We will provide smoke detectors to homes in the city if they are not present or functioning properly." Any one needing assistance with smoke detectors should contact the department at 423-975-2840.

 

Two engine companies, a ladder company, the department's manpower squad, and shift supervisor responded to the scene. A total of 12 firefighters were on the scene. Washington County EMS and the Johnson City Police Department also responded.

 

Please contact Lt. Jason Powell at 423-483-5819 if you have any additional questions concerning this incident.

 

Lt./EMTP Jason Powell

Johnson City, TN Fire Dept.

B-Shift - "North Battalion"

Station 5

205 Broyles Dr.

Johnson City, TN 37601

Station: (423) 283-5804

Cell: (423) 483-5819

Fax: (423) 283-5885

jpowell@johnsoncitytn.org

www.johnsoncitytn.org/Fire

 

Structural Fire at 902 Echo Lane

The Johnson City Fire Department responded to a structural fire at 902 Echo Lane this morning at 6:12 am. Upon arrival, units found smoke visible and coming from the basement. The home was occupied at the time of the fire. All occupants, an adult female and juvenile male, were able to evacuate without injury prior to the fire departments arrival. The home did not have working smoke detectors. Captain Stanley Daniels stated "Luckily, she just happened to wake up and saw an orange glow under the door." The fire was contained to the basement area, but heavy smoke damage extended throughout. The fire was taken under control at around 6:40 a.m. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined and is being investigated by the Fire Marshal's Division.

 

Three engine companies, a ladder company, the departments manpower squad, shift supervisor, fire marshal and rehab unit all responded to the incident. There were a total of 16 firefighters on-scene. A couple of units from Washington County / Johnson City EMS also responded.   

 

Additional information can be obtained from Captain Stanley Daniels (423) 483-5828 or sedaniels@johnsoncitytn.org.  

 

Lt./EMTP Jason Powell

Johnson City, TN Fire Dept.

B-Shift - "North Battalion"

Station 5

205 Broyles Dr.

Johnson City, TN 37601

Station: (423) 283-5804

Cell: (423) 483-5819

Fax: (423) 283-5885

jpowell@johnsoncitytn.org

www.johnsoncitytn.org/Fire