Quake, Tsunami Death Toll Over 63,000
Workers from Indonesia to India rushed to bury corpses to ward off disease Wednesday as cargo planes touched down with promised aid - from lentils to water purifiers - to help the region cope with its tsunami catastrophe. The death toll soared to 63,000. Chances faded of finding more survivors of Sunday's massive, quake-driven walls of water - probably the deadliest in history. With tens of thousands of people still missing, the toll in nearly a dozen affected countries was sure to climb further. "We have little hope, except for individual miracles,'' Chairman of the Accor hotel group said of the search for thousands of tourists and locals missing from beach resorts of southern Thailand - including 2,000 Scandinavians. Millions were homeless in the disaster, contending with hunger and the threat of disease, which the U.N. health agency said could double the toll.

In the Indonesian island of Sumatra, nearest the Indian Ocean epicenter of Sunday's calamitous 9.0-magnitude quake that triggered the tsunamis, bulldozers prepared to dig graves for thousands of corpses lining the streets and lawns of provincial capital Banda Aceh. With the threat of disease on the rise and few ways to identify the dead, there was no choice but to get the bodies under ground, said a military Col. "We will start digging the mass graves today," he said. Indonesia's Health Ministry said thousands more bodies were found, raising to about 32,500 the number of confirmed deaths on Sumatra island, the territory closest to the quake that sent tsunami waves rolling across the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka on Wednesday listed more than 21,700 people dead, India about 7,000 - with thousands more missing. Thailand put its toll at more than 1,650. A total of more than 300 were killed in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. Wildlife enthusiasts in Sri Lanka noted their surprise in seeing no evidence of large-scale deaths of animals, suggesting they had safely made it to high ground. "Maybe what we think is true, that animals have a sixth sense,'' said a hotel owner, whose Jetwing Eco Holidays runs a hotel in the Yala National Park. Aid groups struggled to mount what they described as the largest relief operation the world has seen, and to head off the threat of cholera and malaria epidemics that could break out where water supplies are polluted with bodies and debris. In Sri Lanka, four planes arrived in the capital bringing a surgical hospital from Finland, a water purification plant from Germany, doctors and medicine from Japan and aid workers from Britain, the Red Cross said. Supplies that included 175 tons of rice and 100 doctors reached Sumatra's Banda Aceh. But with aid not arriving quickly enough, desperate people in towns across Sumatra stole whatever food they could find, officials said. Widespread looting also was reported in Thailand's devastated resort islands of Phuket and Phi Phi, where European and Australian tourists left valuables behind in wrecked hotels when they fled - or were swept away by the torrents.

An international airlift was under way to ferry critical aid and medicine to Phuket and to take home shellshocked travelers. Jets from France and Australia were among the first to touch down at the island's airport. Greece, Italy, Germany and Sweden planned similar flights. Along India's southern coast, paramedics began vaccinating 65,000 tsunami survivors in Tamil Nadu state against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery, said a top government administrator. "We have accelerated disposing of bodies to minimize the risk of an epidemic. Also, we have started spraying bleaching powder on the beaches from where the bodies have been recovered," said a top administrator of Tamil Nadu's Nagappattinam district. The world's biggest reinsurer, Germany's Munich Re, estimated the damage to buildings and foundations in the affected regions would be at least $13.6 billion.

Firefighters Sue Manufacturer, Claim Firetruck Sirens too Loud
Most people would agree that firetruck sirens are loud. But a lawsuit claims that came as news to 99 firefighters who are suing the Oak Brook manufacturer of firetruck sirens. The firefighters - including one from Elk Grove Village - have sued Federal Signal Corporation, headquartered in Oak Brook, claiming their hearing was irreparably damaged by the sirens. "The sirens were manufactured, marketed, distributed ... in a defective condition in that the sirens emit intense noise which is unreasonably dangerous to the plaintiffs," the suit claims. "In its marketing, distribution and selling, Defendant provided no warnings or provided inadequate warnings to consumers and end users, like Plaintiff, about the dangerous propensities of the noise emitted by the sirens," it continues. "Sirens emit intense noise at levels which, over time, are capable of causing permanent injury to human hearing. Sirens also emit such high intensity sounds within a narrow frequency range which cause permanent injury by acoustic trauma," the suit claims. "As a result of the injuries sustained by Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs have, or may suffer a permanent diminution in the ability to enjoy life and life's pleasures," the suit concludes. It asks for more than $50,000 for each firefighter. The suit was filed Tuesday by an attorney on behalf of firefighters in 12 states. The suit lists the individual firefighters, but does not indicate which firefighter belongs to which department. Neither Margolis nor Federal Signal Corporation officials could be reached for comment.

Oil Spill Clean Up Cost Still Unclear
A month into the unified cleanup effort of one of the worst oil spills in the Delaware River's history, the magnitude and cost of the spill are still unclear. "We won't have an idea (of the cost) until decontamination is finished," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer, a spokeswoman for the joint information center. "Once decontamination is complete we'll be able to go through costs of the hours worked, the people, the boats and the equipment used." An environmental damage assessment is expected to take even longer. Assessments take into account the natural resource damage and the loss of use to the public due to the damage. At its peak, 1,700 responders have been out on the river working to clean tens of thousands of gallons of thick crude oil that leaked from a Greek-owned tanker Nov. 26 as it was maneuvering toward a docking terminal at the Citgo Petroleum Corporation asphalt refinery near the border of Paulsboro and West Deptford Township. The Coast Guard Officer estimated that a quarter of the work has been completed. The latest figures released by the Coast Guard indicate that 43,699 gallons of oil and oily liquid, 1,817 gallons of submerged oil, and 2,608 tons of oily solids and cleanup materials have been recovered. Winter weather has slowed cleanup efforts and the unified command center based at a Holiday Inn in Center City Philadelphia has scaled back. Operations are expected to slow until the weather warms up again in the spring. "There's only so much you can do when the weather is nasty," the Coast Guard Officer said. "The primary focus is the safety of the workers." The 750-foot Athos I -- pierced twice on the bottom single hull by an object believed to be part of a pump casing that may have at one time been used to anchor a dredge barge -- was moved 50 miles upriver last week from the Marcus Hook anchorage to the Grows Terminal in Morrisville, Pa. for repairs. The ship, managed by Tsakos Shipping and Trading SA, carries a $45 million liability cap, according to the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990, established after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. If cleanup costs, which Tsakos has agreed to pay, exceed the liability cap, an OPA fund can be tapped to cover the difference at no cost to taxpayers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. While much of the 14 million gallons of Venezuelan crude oil the ship was hauling has been offloaded, an undetermined amount of oil still remains in a ballast tank. The heavy crude, known as Bachaquero, requires heating in tankers and refineries to be handled. Once the oil in the ballast tank can be heated and removed, Coast Guard officials will have a better idea how much oil actually spilled into the river. Officials, who originally estimated the number at 30,000 gallons, have still not accounted for 473,500 gallons of cargo. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill dumped more than 11 million gallons of crude off the Alaska coast in what is considered one of the worst ever oil spills in terms of ecological impact in history. In the same year, a tanker ran aground south of Philadelphia and dumped 300,000 gallons into the Delaware River. Between 1994 and 1996, three separate oil spills were reported in the river and the bay, none exceeding more than 40,000 gallons. While officials have offered little by way of updates over the past two weeks, the investigation continues into the cause of the disaster and the pump casing believed to be the culprit. A final report is not expected to be released for several months. Cleaning of waterfowl impacted by the spill, which has polluted more than 60 miles of shoreline and released tarballs that have floated hundreds of miles, has also continued. Tri-State Bird Rescue, which recently opened a temporary location in Thorofare, has reported 257 birds cleaned, 162 dead and 126 released.

Oil Spill Clean Up Continues
The crude oil spill just south of Laurel on Friday leaked less than half the amount previously estimated, according to a ConocoPhillips Pipeline Co. spokesman. District Director said the spill released about 1,700 gallons of crude oil, not the 4,500 to 5,000 gallons initially estimated by firefighters. "You do want to overestimate, so you aren't short of resources," he said.

The cleanup is expected to take several weeks and cost less than $50,000, he added. About 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, the owner of Bypass Truck Repair & Welding a mile south of Laurel on Thiel Road, heard a noise, walked outside and saw oil spewing from a pipeline. He called 911, which dispatched the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department, the Billings Fire Department's hazardous materials emergency response team and the fire crew from the nearby CHS refinery, formerly the Cenex Harvest States. The leak occurred in the ConocoPhillips pipeline that carries crude oil to Billings from Frannie, Wyo. About 25 emergency personnel set up a perimeter and monitored the spill for its explosive potential and for deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. This gas, which smells like rotten eggs, can be explosive. Neither problem was detected, The District Director said, because crude oil, not gasoline, was leaking. "If you have vapors in the area and enough concentration with the right mixture of oxygen, you can have combustion," he said. "But you generally won't get that with crude oil because it's too heavy." The pressure loss in the pipeline was noticed at 10:30 a.m. by workers at the logistics center in Ponca City, Okla., which dispatched a technician from Billings, who showed up about 10:52 a.m., the District Director said. ConocoPhillips notified the required governmental agencies and started shutting down valves, including a valve on the north side of the Yellowstone River and another 1¾ miles south. "As soon as they blocked those, the leak stopped," he said. The leak lasted about an hour. The emergency ended at 1:15 p.m. ConocoPhillips will restore the horse pasture at the spill site. Some fencing also must be rebuilt. The pipeline from Frannie is eight inches in diameter and is about 40 years old. The 0.75-inch valve that failed may have been replaced in the 1990s, the District Director said. Water in the oil accumulated around the valve, which was sitting in a low spot on the pipeline, he said. When the weather turned cold, the valve split. "It's just like at your house if you have water in a pipe, if it freezes it will expand until it breaks," he also said. The valve was replaced the afternoon of the leak, but the pipeline wasn't restarted. The District Director said most of the Wyoming crude oil already had been delivered. He said workers using a backhoe and a skid steer are removing about 60 cubic yards of oil-soaked dirt covering up to 1½ acres. The soil will be analyzed and, depending on how much hazardous waste is present, the soil will either be burned or trucked to an oil treatment farm where the District Director said "special bugs in the soil eat the oil." ConocoPhillips Pipeline is a subsidiary of the parent company, but is not directly connected with the Billings refinery. The pipeline company delivers crude oil mostly from Canada to all three Billings refineries, with some supply coming from Wyoming. The Canadian oil comes through two pipelines - one eight inches in diameter and another one 12 inches - that enter Montana on the Blackfeet Reservation near Cut Bank. The company's last pipeline leak in Montana on what is called the Glacier crude pipeline wasin 2001, a 35-barrel spill near Conrad. The Laurel spill is slightly larger measuring 40 barrels. There are 42 gallons to a barrel. The crude oil sprayed the parking lot and the east side of the trucking building. That has been scrubbed with a cleaner made of citric fruit peels, Hraban said. Gravel on the parking lot will be replaced. Olson said the cleanup is affecting his work schedule at Bypass Truck Repair. "I can't do business today because it's all blocked off," Olson said Monday. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality were notified, as required by law, but neither has sent representatives yet. When the cleanup is completed, the state DEQ must sign off on the work.

Rebels Blow up Iraq Pipeline
Saboteurs have blown up a pipeline running from Iraq's northern Kirkuk oil fields to a refinery at Baiji, causing a large fire that sent thick black smoke into the sky, witnesses say. The attack occurred near the town of al Fatha, just northeast of Baiji, near where the pipeline runs into the refinery complex. "There was a huge blast and flames are shooting into the air," one witness said. Supply lines are frequently attacked by criminals and saboteurs determined to disrupt attempts by Iraq's US-backed government to generate revenue from the country's oil reserves. Multiple lines run from the rich Kirkuk fields to Baiji. Baiji is the location of one of Iraq's largest refineries, from where exports are pumped north to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. However, the northern export line is currently out of commission following a series of sabotage attacks in past weeks.

Nacogdoches Fire - Morgan Oil Company
A large fire involving two thousand gallons of fuel forced businesses and streets to be shut down in Nacogdoches this morning. It also caused major problems for people getting around town.The blaze started at 4:30 this morning at Morgan Oil Company on Bremond Street. The fire is now contained. Parts of the city's business district were evacuated as the pre-dawn fire burned well into mid-morning, producing a dense column of black smoke. With the help of foam provided by Lufkin, firefighters in Nacogdoches had reduced the flames and much of the evacuated area was reopened. About 300 elementary school students did get the day off just as a precaution. Nacogdoches police spokesman says the fire destroyed the offices and a tanker trailer full of gasoline at the Morgan Oil Company. However, the company's two bulk gasoline tanks were saved. Fire fighters cooled the tanks which kept them from melting, leaking more fuel and creating an explosion.Officials in Nacogdoches have said there is no longer need to conserve water since the fire is out. They also say the water is safe to drink, and stress there was never a problem with the quality of the city's water.The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.

Houston Wax Plant Explodes In 3 Alarm Fire
HOUSTON
Numerous explosions erupted from a southwest Houston wax plant Friday evening, sparking a three-alarm fire and shooting flames into the sky that could be seen for miles. Firefighters were sent to Marcus Oil and Chemical in southwest Houston at 5:50 p.m.

The Houston Fire Department went door-to-door to evacuate residents in a four-block area east of the plant. Others were asked to shelter-in-place as a precaution. Fire officials said the company specializes in melting chemicals to make wax. Polyethylene was believed to be the burning material. The explosions were felt miles away. "We were all talking -- my family and I -- and we just heard this big boom. We went outside. My girls were already outside and said they saw this big, orange explosion, above trees and houses in the way. We could smell it," said a resident, who lives five miles from the plant. A Houston Fire Department captain and one Houston firefighter were injured. The captain received burns to his hand while the firefighter injured his back, according to officials. Eight nearby residents also sought treatment at a nearby hospital for minor injuries. Five of those injuries occurred at a church across the street from the plant, officials reported. Some of the injuries were described as "emotional distress." "Evidently when this thing went up, there was quite a pressure wave. It was either emotional trauma or a little bit of physical trauma. They were not life-threatening injuries," HFD assistant chief said. The church and nearby homes were damaged in the blasts, mainly from broken windows. "It knocked (a picture) completely down off the wall that was hanging up. Knocked it completely off the wall and broke all the glass," said the HFD assistant chief, whose home was damaged. "It knocked my (stereo system) down." Roads were blocked in the area while firefighters battled the blaze. The facility also had a fire on Dec. 20, 2003. A seal on a tank broke, leaking hot oil, which erupted into flames. A firefighter sprained his knee and ankle. No one else was injured in that blaze. The cause of the explosions and the fire is not yet known. A federal team of investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board will decide next week whether the blast merits a full, one-year investigation, said a board member, one of five board members, flew in from Washington, D.C., Saturday to meet with a three-member team of engineers and chemists who will conduct a preliminary investigation of the fire, he said. The board has no authority to levy fines or penalties, but could make a report to the company's owners, to the chemical industry or to the community about the blaze, the HFD assistant chief said. He also said any federal probe would be complicated by the fact that the company's "entire administration building, with all of its files and records" was destroyed in the fire.If the board decides to conduct an intensive investigation of Marcus Oil and Chemical, he said there would be at least one public hearing about the impact of the fire on the community.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 124,580 people live within a three-mile radius of the facility. The dense population around the plant made the fire particularly dangerous, he said. "In this type of explosion there could have been many fatalities," Stone said. "It's hard to protect yourself from an explosion like this." The plant owner said the tank that exploded was filled with nitrogen pressure. The tank can hold 40,000 gallons of wax, but only had a few inches of the liquid in it Friday night, he said.Officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality were at the scene throughout the night Friday and Saturday, testing air and water samples. No hazardous materials had been detected, Dowdy said.

Fire Engine in 999 call Overturns
Three firefighters on an emergency call were taken to hospital after the fire engine they were travelling in overturned in Lincolnshire. The vehicle was responding to an emergency call when the accident happened on the A158 Horncastle Road. It happened just after 11am on Tuesday near Langton-by-Wragby. The crew of three, from Wragby retained fire station, was taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering minor cuts and bruises. They were released in the afternoon. An investigation is underway into how the accident happened. No other vehicles were involved.

Fire Engine on 999 Call Crashes
A fire engine crashed into a van as it was answering a 999 call. Police said the driver of the engine lost control of the vehicle in Newburn, Newcastle, on Sunday afternoon. The 40-year-old driver of the Ford Transit van suffered minor injuries during the crash. It was stationary when the accident happened. It happened on Walbottle Road, which was closed for four hours following the accident, and police are appealing for any witnesses.

Four Injured in Fire engine Crash
Four firefighters have been injured after their engine crashed into a bridge in Surrey. The crew was responding to an automatic fire alarm when the vehicle hit the bridge on the A281 at Shalford, near Guildford, on Saturday morning. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said four crew members were hurt but their injures were not life threatening. They were taken to hospital and the road was closed for the bridge to be xamined for structural damage. 'Significant' damage "Unfortunately the four crew members received a number of injuries. "They were taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to undergo treatment, a fire spokeswoman said. She said the vehicle had suffered "significant" damage in the collision.

Enquiry into Steel Plant Blaze
An investigation is being carried out into a blaze at the Corus steelworks in Shotton, north Wales. The last of the firefighters left the scene at around 0452 GMT on Friday morning. No one was reported hurt. The fire was first reported at lunchtime on Thursday in the former electrogalvanising area of the site. The fire service said there was a blast at 1545 GMT. Some residents near the plant were advised to keep windows and doors shut. The cause of the blaze is still unknown. Twenty workers on a neighbouring line were moved from the area, and will return once the area is deemed to be safe. The rest of the site has continued to operate normally. A spokesman for Corus said damage appeared to be contained to a fairly small area with no major damage to walls and the roof. A spokesman said: "Our engineers have inspected the production line which was evacuated yesterday, there was no damage but a substantial amount of clean-up work will be necessary which are we are getting on with. "The production line was on a scheduled maintenance period which will be restarted as planned later in December." On Thursday, police told residents living east of the plant, in Garden City, Sealand and the Queensferry area, that the smoke from the fire was not toxic. The fire service deployed nine fire tenders, from Deeside, Holywell, Buckley, and Chester as well as an aerial platform from Wrexham and a foam carrier from Deeside. Relief crews were brought in to help with the incident. More than 50 firefighters were at the scene nine hours after the blaze broke out

Fire at Refinery Sends Up Plume of Smoke
A plume of smoke from a refinery in Commerce City towered over the metro area for a brief time Thursday morning, News 4 reports. Huge flames from the Suncor refinery at 5801 Brighton Blvd. could be seen briefly and then the plume of smoke rose into the air. Fire crews were training there at the time of the fire and were able to respond quickly to the blaze. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to a company spokesman. Several people were killed in a huge fire at the same facility in 1978. Conoco owned the refinery at that time. thermal imaging camera was used and a lighting generator was at the scene to help the firefighters. The alert comes three years after three men were killed in the Corus steelworks in Port Talbot, south Wales, in a blast in the site's furnace number five. The inquest into the deaths of 3 workers had been due to be held in September but has been postponed until the new year.

Crews Scramble to Douse Blaze at Shell Refinery
A contractor's office burned Thursday night in a blaze at the Shell's Puget Sound Refinery at March Point in Anacortes. No one was in the two connected trailers that are used by Matrix, a construction and maintenance contractor working at the refinery, said the refinery's health, safety, security and environmental manager. No refinery facilities were threatened by the blaze. No one was injured fighting the blaze, which was reported around 9:50 p.m. after an employee saw smoke coming from one of the trailers. Around 9:45 p.m., the employee, who worked in the refinery's coker plant, noticed the smoke in "Contractor Row," a group of trailers used by businesses that work at the refinery, according to the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management. The trailers are in a secure area east of the main gate and just south of the refinery's outermost security fence. A security guard working for the refinery checked out the report and called the Shell Fire Brigade, emergency management officials said. But since the refinery's fire crew is not qualified to battle structure fires, they called 911 and asked for firefighters from Hope Island and Summit Park in Skagit Rural Fire District No. 13. Refinery firefighters are certified for industrial exterior and hydrocarbon fires, the refinery's health, safety, security and environmental manager said. Firefighters told emergency management officials that one of the two trailers was engulfed when they arrived, and flames had spread to the second one, according to the news release. The trailers were joined by a common hallway. The fire was extinguished around 11:30 p.m. he said. Items burned in the fire included office supplies, radio equipment and office equipment, such as computers. The fire is not believed to be suspicious, Koslicki said. However, the cause was still under investigation this morning by the County Fire Marshal's Office.

Police Chase Ends In Philadelphia Fire Station
On December 11, 2004 at approximately 23:00 hours Saturday Philadelphia police were in pursuit of a vehicle that had been reported stolen. The chase ended inside Sqt-57's station, when the car lost control, hit a pedestrian and went through the medics bay door. The car then hit Sqt-57 broadside by the officers door, pushing the truck up against the wall and crushing the park bench inside the station. Fortunately no one inside the station was injured. Sqt-57 is now out of service from severe damage sustained from the incident. A reserve piece has engine has been placed in service in its place. The pedestrian that was struck was transported to H.U.P. via medic-9 and will be ok. Police apprehended the suspect and recovered a gun from the auto.

Firework Explosion Injures 18
Firefighters spray water to put out a fire caused by an explosion of firecrackers in Changsha, provincial capital of Central China's Hunan Province, December 9, 2004. A railway carriage with firecrackers exploded at the suburbs of Changsha and injured 18 workerA firefighter tries to put out a fire caused by an explosion of firecrackers in Changsha, provincial capital of Central China's Hunan Province, December 9, 2004. A railway carriage with firecrackers exploded at the suburbs of Changsha and injured 18 workers who were repairing the rails at the site. Two of them were in serious condition and rushed to a local hospital. s who were repairing the rails at the site. Two of them were in serious condition and rushed to a local hospital. The fire was braught under control by firefoghters.

Explosion Injures 1 firefighter at Putman County Pet food Factory
LEIPSIC, Ohio - An explosion in the Iams Co. premium pet food plant in Putnam County yesterday seriously injured a Leipsic volunteer firefighter who was flown to Medical College of Ohio Hospitals. When the explosion occurred at 1:45 p.m., one of about six firefighters helping Iams employees empty a large bin of powdery pet food ingredients that was thought to be smoldering. The 38-year-old was flown by medical helicopter to St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, where he was listed in serious condition. From there he was flown to Toledo, where his condition was unavailable. About 50 firefighters from several departments remained at the plant last night,continuing to remove cellulose, which is paper ground as fine as flour, from the bin in the area where the explosion occurred, Putnam County Sheriff said. Iams employees had been evacuated. The plant manager, said he could not predict when regular work shifts would resume at the plant, which employs about 175 people and operates around the clock, Seven days a week. "Obviously, we want to understand what happened before we restart," he said. The problem at the plant on State Rt. 65 in northeast Putnam County's Leipsic appeared to start Thursday morning. Iams employees noticed smoke coming from a 60-foot-long, covered conveyor that was filling the bin with cellulose. They called Leipsic firefighters, who stayed at the plant a couple hours, The plant manager said. Yesterday morning, employees again noticed faint smoke in the area. They decided to empty the 30-foot-high bin of cellulose and called Leipsic firefighters to wet down the dusty ingredient while they worked. The plant manager said about eight Iams employees were working with firefighters in the southwest corner of the plant that is filled with dozens of large bins storing pet food ingredients. When the blast occurred, The plant manager was on the fourth floor of the plant retrieving equipment and he fell, according to the sheriff. The state fire marshal is investigating. Iams leaders had no damage estimate to the plant and pet food ingredients last night, Mr. Wolking said, adding that he hoped to clean up water today and assess the plant's condition. The plant, which makes Iams and Eukanuba Premium Performance dog and cat foods, started production in 1998. It is one of four Iams plants making dry pet food in the United States. Procter & Gamble Co. owns Iams, which was started in a small feed mill near Dayton in 1946. The plant is in the midst of expanding its warehouse space with a 150,000-square-foot addition that Mr. Wolking said is to be finished by March. It is expected to cost almost $23 million and create 25 jobs. Because of those plans, Putnam County received a $249,000 Ohio Small Cities Community Development Block Grant from the Ohio Department of Development to expand Leipsic's wastewater treatment plant and install sewer lines for the plant. The grant was announced Tuesday.

Arkansas Firefighter Hurt in Blast at Fire Station
A Benton firefighter was seriously injured when gasoline fumes at a fire station ignited, causing an explosion, fire officials said. The Captain was being treated for burns at Arkansas Children's Hospital, where he was admitted after the Monday blast. He was listed in good condition Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. The explosion occurred at 10:10 a.m. at a station on Salt Creek Road on the north side of Benton. Fire Chief said firefighters at the station smelled gasoline fumes in an equipment bay and tried to open a door so fresh air could get into the area. "Before they could get to the door, the gasoline apparently found an ignition point,'' fire officials said. The Little Rock fire marshal will investigate the cause of the fire. The injured man joined the department in 1989 and is married with four children, the oldest of whom is 14.

Replacements sought for Knock’s ‘antique’ fire engines
Another flight lands safely at Knock Airport. As the passengers file off the aircraft, the fire services can be grateful that they weren’t called into service. While the fire men and women can respond quickly to a crisis, the fire engines aren’t as fast as they used to be. Can you remember 1973? Nor can I, I wasn’t even born at the time, but the fire engine at Knock Airport was around. Thirty-one years later and the eldest fire engine at the international airport is still expected to fight fire and save lives. The engines at the international airport are 31 and 19 years old respectively. A refurbished vehicle is also on standby but this is by no means a recent model and could be anything up to 10 years old. Chief Executive of Knock Airport is frustrated by the situation. He argues that while the engines met the current required standards, they are by no means modern and funding is needed to update the fleet. “The older the fire engines are the less able they are to meet speed requirements” Early 2005 will see Knock Airport with a 25-member fire crew, including the first three female members of the team, fully trained in security and fire fighting. But without the necessary fire fighting equipment, their job is made all the more difficult. “Their age of the engines doesn’t help, we have to increase the number of engines and we have to deal with age,” noted a member of the fire crew. An independent study carried out last year recommended that two new fire engines be purchased. Not only does Knock Airport have to replace the two eldest vehicles, a smaller engine, a rapid intervention vehicle capable of travelling on softer ground, which surrounds the runway, is also required. “It recommended that the 31 and 19 year old vehicles be replaced and a smaller vehicle be purchased,” explained a spokesperson. With three engines on stand-by for each landing, breakdowns are a nightmare for the airport. As the Airport develops and the number of flights increase, there is little time to carry out repairs. “We’re subject to regular breakdowns and we are constantly looking for parts. There used to be time between flights for maintenance but now it’s important we have reliable vehicles,” noted a spokesperson. The London Musuem of Transport came to the rescue last time around when the eldest vehicle fell ill to breakdown. “It’s fast becoming a losing battle,” he said. New fire safety requirements, which will be introduced in the coming weeks will see the fire crew, with their aged fire engines, having to travel a mile to the end of the runway in a rapid two minutes. “We need something that can move,” noted a fire fighter with the airport’s crew. Without funding to replace the elderly engines, then attracting flights from the US and mainland Europe could be jeopardised. “If the federal authorities in the US assess the vehicles, they wouldn’t be too happy. If we’re upgrading flights from UK to mainland Europe and the US, the category of cover increases enormously,” he noted. Knock Airport argues that funding needs to be provided now before the demand on vehicles becomes a crisis. “As we become a larger and busier airport there is more and more demand on the vehicles. There’s no point making an investment now and then come back in two or three years time and need another one” Category 7, which are the majority of Ryanair flights need a minimum of two vehicles on standby but the larger planes require more cover, noted a fire officer. Knock Airport’s Fire Service have had to deal with incidents down through the years, including the Cessna jet, which went down the far side of the airport. Two people on board were seriously injured but survived the ordeal. To continue the good record at Knock Airport funding is urgently required to assist the fire crew in their difficult task. The new engines are faster, are able to hold more water and will be much more effective in a crisis.

Fifteen Dead - Five Missing in China Mine Blasts
Fifteen workers died and five are missing after gas explosions at two separate coal mines in China, officials and state media said. Fourteen workers died Sunday in an explosion at a mine in Shilin town in southwest China's Sichuan province, workplace safety officials said. Seventeen miners were underground when the blast occurred, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety said on its website. Rescuers hauled eight bodies from the shaft and brought the other nine workers to the surface only for six to die later in hospital from their injuries. The remaining three were receiving treatment. The coal mine, which has an annual capacity of 30,000 tons, belongs to the Xingwen County Yinfang Mining Co. Ltd. A separate blast Sunday morning in central China's Hunan Province left one dead and another five missing feared dead, Officials said. The blast happened at the Xinuan coal mine in the city of Changning, an official was quoted as saying. An official with the provincial coal mine safety administration, said a rescue operation was continuing but the missing five miners were unlikely to be found alive. Preliminary investigations showed that the accident was caused by illegal production, he added. The blasts were the latest deadly disasters to hit the industry, which is under renewed scrutiny for its perceived lack of awareness and investment in safety measures. In recent weeks hundreds of miners have died in accidents, including 166 people in Shaanxi province in China's worst mining catastrophe in 44 years. Recent official figures showed that in the first 11 months of the year 5,286 miners died in China, although independent overseas labor rights groups say the government is hugely underestimating the statistics. They say the real annual figure of mining deaths could be around 20,000.

Two investigations have been launched at a oil refinery near Immingham following an explosion and an oil spillage
Two workers were injured in an explosion at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in South Killingholme on Tuesday. The Health and Safety Executive is also investigating a crude oil spill into the Humber from the refinery which is threatening wildlife sites. The cause of the leak is thought to be a fractured overland pipeline. The Environment Agency said it was treating the spill as a major incident. Oiled birds have already been spotted nearby, an agency spokesman said. "We put our emergency team into action on Tuesday morning, identified the leak in an overland crude line and stopped it," said the refinery's safety and environment manager. The oil had spilled into the South Killingholme Drain, an effluent drainage channel which feeds into the South Killingholme Haven area of the estuary. Lindsey Oil Refinery, which is owned by petrochemicals giant Total, said all the oil had now been removed from the drain using specialist equipment and techniques. A boom had been put in place across the drain's exit to the Haven and oil was still being recovered from there. Neither the company nor the Environment Agency could say how much oil had been lost from the pipeline, which takes crude oil from the shoreside terminal to the refinery. The South Killingholme Haven is surrounded by mudflats which are used as feeding and breeding grounds by many species of birds and other animals, including water voles. An Environment Agency spokesman said: "There is concern that if it spreads, the mudflats could be contaminated. "But predictions are that the oil will break up naturally and disperse." Officials from the RSPB, English Nature and North Lincolnshire Council are at the site assessing the threat to wildlife. An RSPB spokesman said: "Although we're very concerned about reports of oiled birds, we are optimistic that the worst has been averted because this spill was spotted relatively quickly. "But we are very concerned that there was a large element of luck involved and we would want any inquiry to focus on how these pollution incidents are dealt with in future." The Environment Agency said its investigation could take several weeks to complete and would seek to determine whether legal action could be taken and how to prevent any future spills.