Vacant House Fire; Propane Tank Leak Causes 101 Diversion; Rhododendron Coronation

Vacant House Fire

A busy day for emergency responders yesterday that started with a house fire in the 3500 block of Pine street.  Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue, Florence Police, Western Lane Ambulance and the Oregon State police all responded to 3541 Pine to find a recently vacated house on fire.  One resident on the block told Coast Radio News that he had smelled fire at about 11:45 but saw no sign of where the smell was coming from.  Crews arrived on the scene at approximately 12:40.  Shortly after 1pm crews were able to enter the structure to ensure that the fire was out.  There were no injuries and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

Propane Tank Leak Causes 101 Diversion

A dangerous propane leak at the new Top Tier Market on highway 101 at 16th street had the road shut down for about 2 hours yesterday afternoon.  Fire and police responded to find a main feeder line for the propane storage tank on the property spewing the gas into the air.  Division Chief Jim Dickerson spoke with Coast Radio News at the scene.  He said the only safe action was to wait.

201:  “There’s a rupture in the feeder line from the tank.  There’s no fire right now so what we’re doing, there’s no way to shut that off, I’ve checked all the valves is that we’re just going to have to let that vent out.”

A white cloud of gas could be seen coming from the tanks ruptured line and the smell filled the air.  Out of an abundance of caution Dickerson said it was best to close highway 101.

202: “The reason that we’re diverting all the traffic is I don’t want any sources of ignition that close and we have sheltered in place all of the residents over there.”

The tank held thousands of dollars worth of propane and emptied out in about an hour and a half.  Traffic resumed on 101 at 4:15 pm.

Rhododendron Coronation

This evening is the Coronation of the Queen Rhododendra and King of the coast.  The annual event is held at the Florence event Center and showcases the princesses and princes talents and goals for life after High School.  There are 5 princesses along with their junior counterparts and two princes.  On the Rhody Court this year is Lainey Goss and her junior princess Aleeya Thomas, Alex Saindon and her junior princess Jasmine Krause, Andrea Sanchez-Hernandex and her junior princess Abigail Mendez, Denielle VanWinkle and her junior princess Kylee Stinger, and Thelma Gentry and her junior princess Brittney Adams.  The Princes are Colby Waters and Trent Reavis. Among the festivities will be 2 performances of the C.R.O.W. Kids dance team Flight.  The event is at 6:30 this evening and is $10 for adults and $6 for 18 and under.