Fire Guts Warehouse In Camon Heights
It was a tense Monday morning for many Richland firefighters as an old dilapidated warehouse was engulfed by a four-alarm fire. The warehouse, just across the plaza from the old Camon Church, burned for more than a day as firefighters struggled to fight the inferno.
Witnesses in the area said they first spotted the smoke coming from the warehouse around 9 a.m. It didn't take long to spread.
The City's Fire Chief said at its peak, it was a four-alarm fire. Nine nearby companies provided mutual aid. In all, more than 50 fire personnel responded. At least one firefighter was injured after falling debris struck him in the shoulder, officials said.
Officials from the city department of public safety were at the scene of the fire when it broke out and were able to rescue four warehouse workers trapped on the lower levels of the warehouse. It was a harrowing rescue by civil workers who aren't trained in fire rescue. Thanks to their heroic bravery, none of the employees were injured.
An official representative from the city department of public safety and fire marshal's office said faulty wiring started the fire. The warehouse had been cited for several safety issues in its last inspection, including old wiring no longer up to code and junction boxes noted for corrosion and worn wiring insulation.
Hanson Scottmeir, the foreman on duty at the time, told the Sentinel “the situation was total chaos and it was amazing to see these city officials risk their lives to rescue the four trapped workers”, Gary Foreman, Joe Duncan, Gerald Yancey and Eric Wells. "There were flames and smoke everywhere, but they never hesitated to go back in there and get my men out safely."
"We take these inspections very seriously", the head of the department of public safety told the Sentinel. "We happened to be reviewing the case and preparing for a return inspection when reports of power spikes started coming in from the Camon Heights power grid. It didn't take us long to put two and two together. Sure enough, once we got inside the fire started."
When asked why the fire burned for so long, the Sentinel was told that unauthorized hazardous materials, possibly chemicals or drugs, were being stored at the warehouse. The State fire marshal and ATF have investigators on the scene. A full investigation is under way and no further comments were available at the time.
Owners of the warehouse chain did not return any phone calls.
Suicide letter from Wright Research employees
The following letter was sent to the Sentinel staff. We have included it in its complete form along with our report.
Dear Wright Research,
We are committing suicide this evening at the branch office in South Vauxton. We are tired of your company mistreating us and our friends and making our lives horrible, we can not take it anymore! You can take your company with your fake intentions and your fake goals and shove it! We have all known the true purpose of your company all along. Hopefully, the rest of the employees leave you guys as well. Your company isn't worth anything and it's a disgrace. Your company has driven us to suicide since we have no other choice, and no desire to live because of you. I hope your company fails and goes bankrupt and is shown for the "company" that it really is!
Thanks for nothing,
Neil Lewis and Joan Malgieri
Is Wright Research involved in unscrupulous activity? Their representatives say no. Wright representatives say that the two employees had become involved in an interoffice relationship, which is strictly against policy. They could have lost their jobs if they were found out. Autopsy has shown that Neil had not taken his medication for several days. Joan may have been the real victim here. No wrongdoing is suspected on the part of Wright Research, but the matter will be thoroughly investigated.
News Briefs
Another body leaves no evidence for police to pursue after Gerald "Jerrie" Clarke, 28, was found dead in an Apollyon bookstore on the night of August 12th. Clarke was shot fatally by an unknown attacker, according to forensics. Clarke's family suspects he may have been in a suicidal frame of mind prior to the incident. The mother, whose name is being withheld, mentioned Clarke was recently laid off and had gone through a break up with his girlfriend. Local authorities have no suspects, no witnesses, and no trail of clues to follow. They expressed clearly that Clarke's former girlfriend is not a suspect at this time. Please contact the tip line if you have any information you feel may be of use.
Robbery at local grocery store. Authorities said Friday that a man in a wheelchair entered a grocery store. The suspect then proceeded to roll straight toward the cash register and began to hit it with a baseball bat. However, he didn't take any cash. The suspect instead stole 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before making his getaway. The police are now looking for a man in a wheelchair around Mara Plaza and Magog. Please contact your local police if you see a suspicious man in wheelchair.
Of a different type
So the vandalism continues, and now they are targeting our most precious network of information: the media. Apparently, it's not enough to harass people and destroy phone booths, no they have to disrupt TV transmissions and data traffic as well!
Have you ever tried to work with a computer that only works sporadically and seems to have a life of its own when it decides to work at all? It's no picnic, let me tell you. I had to revert to writing and re-writing on paper to get this column done. It's a good thing I still have my old trusted Royal at home. You know, there is something intensely satisfactory about the repetitive rhythmic sounds and manual labor of working with a typewriter. Using a modern keyboard isn't quite the same, though as for the difference: well I just can't seem to put my finger on it.
The crime wave seems to have escalated to target major corporations now, and no one seems to know how long we have to live with this sporadic technical sabotage, but rest assured that you will continue to receive unhampered news and unbiased reports of what happens in this great city, no matter what. So stay alert and pay attention to the written word.
Thank God for newspapers, that's all I have to say!
