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Kerosene analyzed
in fire investigations
[OCT. 23, 2002]
Illinois Clark stations have
temporarily stopped selling kerosene. Clark Retail Enterprises,
Inc., an Oakbrook-based gasoline retailer, sent out an alert on
Tuesday, Oct. 22, of a possible contamination at the Lincoln
station. John Matthews, vice president of marketing and facilities
for Clark, said, "Until we can test the product, we have stopped
selling kerosene in all of our Illinois locations."
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The retailer, which has 1,350 locations
throughout the Midwest, voluntarily suspended kerosene sales at
their 547 Illinois stations when they learned of two fire
investigations. Kerosene heaters are believed to have been the cause
of the fires, and in both instances the kerosene was purchased at
the Lincoln Clark store.
Lincoln Rural firefighters responded
back-to-back to two home fires Monday evening and early Tuesday.
First, Lincoln Rural assisted the New
Holland Fire Department with a fire that began at 8:09 p.m. Monday
at the Jessie Mosier residence. Mosier reported that the kerosene
heater exploded as he was refueling it. He suffered burns on his
hands and foot.
The house was a total loss.
The state fire marshal was called in to
investigate. ESDA was contacted also.
Just barely back from New Holland and
still cleaning their equipment, Lincoln Rural got a second call at
12:46 a.m. The fire at the Joe Coffman residence at 714 1700th St.
was not nearly as intense as the New Holland fire. Coffman had put
it out by the time firefighters arrived. They stayed to assess the
cause, damages and watch for any restarts. Again, a kerosene heater
was the apparent cause of the fire.
Chief Bob Thomas thought it suspicious
having the two like incidents so close together. Assistant Rural
Fire Chief Duane Ingram, who was on-site at the Coffman house,
smelled the kerosene. He said it did not smell like it should.
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Thomas called Lincoln Fire Department
investigator Jim Davis. Davis was later joined in the rural Lincoln
investigation by the state fire marshal, who came over from the New
Holland site when he finished.
The investigators are not suspicious of
any foul play.
Testing of the Lincoln, Mount Pulaski
and Mason City Clark station kerosenes began Tuesday morning. No
results are available yet.
The concern is that there could be
gasoline contaminating the kerosene. When gasoline and kerosene are
mixed you have a highly explosive fuel comparable to a bomb. The
gasoline provides a quick start and the kerosene continues a slow
burn.
The Clark station at 548 Woodlawn Road
in Lincoln has issued a recall on all kerosene purchases. Lincoln is
the only location in question at this time. Customers are asked to
please return the product to the store immediately. Your money will
be refunded. The kerosene should NOT be used.
Matthews
said, "Clark is very concerned about the safety of its customers and
your neighborhood. We appreciate your assistance."
[Jan
Youngquist]
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Ground broken for largest interstate reconstruction project
downstate
$400 million revamp of I-74 through Peoria will improve safety
[OCT. 23, 2002]
PEORIA — Gov. George Ryan
joined federal, state and local officials Monday to officially begin
the reconstruction of Interstate 74 through Peoria. The $400 million
reconstruction project is the largest in Illinois history, outside
of Chicago, and is being made possible through
Illinois FIRST.
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"Today we’re making history," Gov. Ryan
said. "This $400 million project is one for the future. It’s for
future public safety and future economic growth."
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at
the Forrest Hill overpass, one of 44 bridges that will be
reconstructed during the I-74 project. The overpass will be rebuilt
to provide for four lanes of traffic and will be the required height
and width to accommodate the new six lanes of I-74. The work is
expected to be complete in June of 2003.
The reconstruction of 8.3 miles of I-74
will result in a re-engineered roadway from Sterling Avenue to
Washington Street. The roadway was not originally built to be an
interstate, and as a result the accident rate along the 8-mile
stretch being reconstructed is 15 times greater than the current
state average.
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"We’re going to totally gut this system
and rebuild it from the ground up, re-engineering it, putting down
new concrete, installing wider and safer interchanges and new
bridges," Gov. Ryan said. "We’re making this road safer for everyone
who drives on it, and we’ll make it easier for people who do
business in Peoria."
When work is
completed on the project in late 2006, the new I-74 will have wider
and safer interchanges with the local road system, as well as
numerous aesthetic and safety features, such as landscaping,
lighting, fencing and an Intelligent Traffic System.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release] |
