Month: May 2014

THANK YOU!

FROM Windy Reynolds Lattis, wife of Athens Firefighter Gene Lattis, who had his truck, trailer and mower stolen while he was fighting the fertilizer fire this week.

“Henderson County Now, the news stations, (Fox 4 News, KETK and KLTV) friends and family we hope that the thief that started this journey is convicted by the amount of publication our story has received will turn himself/herself in. We are a family that isn’t in the spotlight and would rather be behind the scenes.  People within our community and from miles away have been extremely nice with heartfelt sincerity and words of encouragement and monetary donations.  Through this experience we have been reminded that there are more good people in this world than bad!”

Mayor Jerry Don Vaught just told me that Fiddlers will go on as normal on the square tomorrow!

And before you ask … yes, the carnival will be open also.

Also, the Farmers Market (8 a.m. – noon) and the Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes event (starting at 10 a.m.) will both be downtown tomorrow. 

So come on and check it all out!

Fiddlers Schedule: Saturday, May 31

9 a.m. Invocation, Welcome Address, Western Swing Band

10 a.m. Seniors 66 and Over Contest

11 a.m. Adult Ages 30-65 Contest

12 noon Western Swing Band

1:30 p.m. Adult Ages 30-65 Contest Continued

2 p.m. Young Adult Ages 19-29 Contest

3 p.m. Youth Ages 18 & Under Contest

4 p.m. Open Division, All Ages Contest

5 p.m. Grand Champion Playoff

6 p.m. Acoustic Guitar Picking Contest

8 p.m.-12 Midnight Street Dance

STATEMENT BY THE CITY OF ATHENS

Mayor Jerry Don Vaught released the following statement within the last 30 minutes:

“With regard to the incident at 105 W. Larkin Street, the scene is stabilized, and the city is no longer in imminent danger.

“If you have health conditions, such as asthma, pulmonary or cardiac issues, be aware there is still smoke in the area. If you have one of these conditions, please take precaution when returning to your home or business.

“All county offices surrounding the courthouse will remain closed today. City Hall is open.

“The Old Fiddler’s Reunion on the square is delayed until further notice.

“There will be a press conference at 2 p.m. to provide any updates we have.

“The health and safety of our citizens is our highest priority.”

By Michael V. Hannigan

It will be most of the day before officials will decide whether or not to lift the evacuation zone in Athens, Fire Chef John McQueary said at a press conference Friday morning. 

A fire Thursday evening at the ammonium nitrate storage facility operated by East Texas Ag Services caused officials to set up an evacuation zone in approximately a five block radius. The storage building is located at 105 Larkin Street, just off the square in Athens.

Friday, McQueary said two agencies — the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) — monitored the air in Athens through the night and into the morning. The chief said they found “little to no toxicity” in the air.

“At this time, even though we don’t have toxicity, we still have smoke; we still have carbon products coming from that as you would any structure fire,” McQueary said. “So because of that, we are not going to remove people from the Cain Center (shelter) to go back to their residences because of the health issue.”

McQueary said Athens firefighters along with state and federal officials came up with a plan for the fire today. It includes:

– Tearing down the remaining walls of the building to keep them from collapsing inside the hot zone

— Using water to try and create steam and water coolant that will help get rid of the smoke

— Build dikes to contain any overflow and spillage of water that might be contaminated; dikes will also block the sewer system to stop overflow from going into that system

“That is our plan,” said McQueary. “To cool it and provide steam conversion so we can resolve this in a lot quicker fashion.”

Unfortunately, even that will take time.

“We are looking at anywhere between six to eight hours before we’re able to relook and evaluate the situation to see if the smoke is dissipating and is not going to crop back up again,” said McQueary.

The site of the fire is being treated as a crime scene at this time because the fire began so quickly, according to the fire chief. He said the owner of Ag Services was on the site at 5:15 p.m. and when fire fighters arrived just 30 minutes later the blaze was already out each wall and through the roof of the building, which he said was suspicious.

By Michael V. Hannigan

The East Texas Ag Services building in the 100 block of Larkin Street in Athens caught fire around 5:45 pm. Thursday, May 29.

The building is used as a storage area for fertilizer, including ammonium nitrate. According to Athens Mayor Jerry Don Vaught, the building has been used for that purpose for at least 50 years. Ammonium Nitrate is the chemical compound that exploded at the West Fertilizer Company on April 17, 2013, killing 15 and injuring more than 160.

By the time the home fire protection squad of firefighters arrived after the Professional Watch Guards dialled for them, the building was fully engulfed in flames. Because of the ammonium nitrate, firefighters backed off to let the fire burn itself out. An evacuation area of first three blocks, and then five blocks, was established around the fire scene.

There have been no injuries reported.

Owners of buildings like this will likely want to be evaluating their fire risk assessment and strategies on a regular basis. They can find more information here on everything they’ll likely need to know when it comes to conducting an effective fire-risk-assessment.

“Our main priority is the safety and security of our citizens and this is what I am very proud of our first responders having taken care of,” Vaught said at a press conference late in the evening.

Two shelters were established for the displaced residents: The Cain Center and the First United Methodist Church.

At the press conference, Vaught estimated there were between 300 and 350 people who had been displaced because of the evacuation.

Trinity Valley Community College evacuated it’s Athens campus Thursday evening because of the fire.

TVCC released the following statement:

“TVCC officials have taken measures in response to a fire in the downtown area near the Henderson County Courthouse square. Most TVCC faculty and staff had already left the campus for the day at the time of the incident. However, the TVCC Alert system was activated as a precautionary measure to inform all students, staff and faculty of the situation. Summer semester students who reside on campus were evacuated and taken by bus to a neighboring city. Those students will be lodged in a local hotel overnight while emergency officials work to stabilize the fire scene.”

“TVCC officials will continue to closely monitor this situation and will coordinate with the TVCC Police Department and the City of Athens to ensure the safety of our faculty, staff and students.”

Athens ISD Superintendent Blake Stiles verified that the Athens High School awards ceremony that was scheduled Thursday night was cut short because of the fire.

Athens High School is right on the edge, but outside, of the evacuation zone.

Stiles said he has a meeting scheduled with the city’s emergency management personnel, but as of late Thursday night classes and buses were scheduled to begin as normal.

As Thursday came to an end, the fire was still smoldering but was under control.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is in Athens and conducting air quality testing. Vaught said that evacuated residents would not be allowed to return to their homes until the TCEQ approved the air quality.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and Vaught said a complete investigation will begin as soon as the fire is out.