TODAY'S NEWS MON. NOVEMBER 28, 2011

CRESSONA TEXTILE WASTE VICTIM OF ANOTHER FIRE

Having already weathered two major fires within the last few years, Cressona Textile Waste was hit by another blaze on Saturday. The alarm sounded in Cressona and Schuylkill Haven at 6:24 p.m. for a fire at the corner of Front and Railroad Streets in Cressona. Firefighters arrived on scene quickly, and being the first chief officer to arrive, Schuylkill Hose Co. #2 Fire Chief Jim Reed assumed command. He told WPPA news what he found when he got there:

REED FINDINGS

Multiple alarms went out for help, including several tankers that were used to supplement the municipal water system. Chief Reed had to control a large number of firefighters and apparatus:

REED NUMBER OF FF

The building began to collapse by 7:20 p.m., and once the fire was knocked down, heavy equipment arrived to begin tearing the large bundles of cloth apart so hot spots could be extinguished. The State police Fire Marshall was called to the scene to try to determine a cause for the blaze, and was expected to arrive Sunday afternoon. Chief Reed summed up the response by local volunteers:

REED SUMMARY

BUFFET HOUSE RESTAURANT DESTROYED BY FIRE

While firefighters were still busy fighting a commercial fire in the Borough of Cressona, a call came in for another fire. The report said that the Buffet House restaurant in North Manheim Township had a fire in the basement. When firefighters from Pottsville arrived on scene, they entered the basement to attack the fire, but had a difficult time navigating through the area. Schuylkill Communications Center relayed a message that there was a second basement in the building, and the crew on the first floor said the floor was weakening, so it was decided to abandon the interior attack and fight the fire from outside. The fire moved through the building quickly, despite the best efforts of fire companies from Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Landingville, Port Carbon, and Schuylkill Haven. The cause of the fire is undetermined, and the building is a total loss.

TRIAL SET TO BEGIN TODAY FOR DAMON ENNETT

Damon Ennett is charged with participating in the murder of Bruce Forker, and today he will go to trial facing a long list of charges that could put him in prison for the rest of his life. Ennett is one of three men who were charged in the case. One of those men has pleaded guilty to third degree murder, and the other was found not guilty of all charges against him. Police accuse Ennett of waiting outside Forker's home in the getaway car while the murder was committed. Sherriff Joseph Groody is making arrangements for extra security at the court house and inside the courtroom during Ennett's trial, including metal detectors and Sherriff's Deputies.

RIFLE DEER SEASON OPENS TODAY

Pennsylvania's rifle deer season opens today, and that means three quarters of a million people will be taking to the woods in pursuit of whitetailed deer. During the 2010 season, hunters harvested over 120,000 deer, which the Game Commission said was a normal harvest. Because of the number of people in the woods, drivers should be alert for cars and trucks parked along roadways, and watch for deer crossing roads at times and places where they are not usually seen