Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 12

(The Birmingham ftitrog SATURDAY Bim i'Mt-IIrruId My 6 2002 Here kitty kitty Independence Day holidays busy time for firefighters PAGE 12A Fireworks can get extremely hot The National Fire Protection Association a trade organization In Quincy Mass reports they can have a surface temperature of 1200 degrees It also reports that fireworks cause more fires in the US on the Fourth of July than all other causes combined Mardis said the Birmingham statistics show little change over time are pretty he said count for only a small portion of fire calls Records for July 2-5 last year show three children received eye injuries and another five children were burned from fireworks There were 44 lawn and trash fires two garage and outbuilding fires one house fire and eight trees set on fire Ail these -were caused by fireworks Mardis said fireworks and hot embers fall on rooftops or ignite bird nests and debris in eaves or attics BERNHARDT LEXINGTON PULASKI mm flair APMONTGOMERV ADVERTISER Todd Van Brat Ethan Dunn looks back at his mom Krissy Dunn while a white Bengal tiger checks them both out at the Montgomery Zoo on Friday Many businesses and offices were closed Friday By WALTER BRYANT News staff writer Outdoor grilling and the July Fourth weekend go hand in hand But there could be major fireworks if charcoal is not disposed of properly Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service records for July 2-5 2001 show there were 48 trash container fires and one residential fire caused by improperly discarded charcoal year we get about 50-60 grass fires and about 50 trash container said Capt CW Mardis spokesman for the city fire department Records show there were 44 lawn fires linked to fireworks last year between July 2 and July 5 Other lawn fires could have been caused by hot charcoal Department records show there were 48 trash container fires caused by charcoal during the four-day period last year Mardis said firefighters respond to nearly twice as many trash container fires during the four-day period around Independence Day than on either the long Memorial Day weekend or the Labor Day weekend He believes that these holiday fires are caused by grill embers dumped before they have been completely extinguished Charcoal crusts over with a coating of ash An outdoor chef may think the charcoal has burned out when it can still be fire on the he said It is safer to put embers into a metal container douse them with water stir and douse again Charcoal is not the only source of Independence Day holiday problems Mardis said the department stays busy with fi reworks-related incidents including injuries and fires at this time of year Eye injuries and bums ac NEWS BRIEFS Power plant releases ash A piece of pollution-control equipment at Alabama Power downtown steam plant broke Friday afternoon sending a cloud of black ash into the air for the second time in a few weeks A bag holding ash from the Powell Avenue Steam Plant broke while workers were cleaning the bag house releasing ash for about five minutes around 1:20 pm said Alabama Power spokeswoman Alice Gordon She said it was only an unfortunate coincidence that a bag also broke around the same time June 18 Friday an air meter showed that the emissions at the time were 55 percent opaque a little more than five times the permitted limit for the plant However workers quickly fixed the problem and the high emissions lasted only five minutes Gordon said The plant is not known for frequent air pollution problems said David Wootton Jefferson principle air pollution control engineer two cases like this this close together is Wootton said engineer will look into that to make sure not going to be a recurring Katherine Bouma Birmingham man charged in slaying A Birmingham man has been charged with murder in connection with the Wednesday stabbing of a Pratt Gty man Satanky Roderick Daniels 50 of Alder Avenue Birmingham was being held Friday at the Jefferson County Jail A jailer said bond on his murder charge was set at $30000 Joe Nathan Terrell 54 of 1309 Sixth Place was pronounced dead at his home at 9:35 pm Wednesday Authorities said an argument began on his front porch and moved inside Terrell was stabbed to death 3 die in 1-20 wreck near Heflin Two people from Georgia and one from Maryland died in a three-vehicle wreck 10 miles east of Heflin on Interstate 20 early Wednesday State troopers said a car and a tractor-trailer were traveling east on the interstate when they hit each other The impact caused the car driven by Josephine Barnes 29 of Atlanta to cross the median and collide with a car traveling west Barnes died in the accident Seven-year-old Vamett Johnson a passenger in die car died Friday at Hospital in Birmingham Tykisha Marie Slay 23 of Oxon Hill Md a passenger in the westbound car was killed in the accident troopers said Dora death probed as homicide The Jefferson County Department is investigating the death of a Dora man whose body was found Thursday near Graysville Homicide Lt A1 Finley FAIRFIELD miss our legendary identified the man as Anthony Matquis Gosha 24 He said a couple driving on Banner Mine Road spotted the body near the abandoned Banner Mines about 5:30 pm Thursday The couple drove to a home and called the department There was no wallet with the body Authorities identified Gosha through fingerprint records and said his body apparently had been dumped at the site Authorities say they are investigating the death as a homicide Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact Sgt Robert Thompson at 325-1450 After 5 pm call 325-5858 Pryor campaign chief hurt in 1-65 accident Attorney General Bill campaign manager was injured in an auto accident Thursday in Alabaster and was in stable condition at University Hospital Hood Harris III 32 was involved in a one-vehicle accident in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 in Alabaster a state trooper dispatcher said There were no other people involved and the accident is being investigated A doctor driving behind Harris saw the accident and assisted him until an ambulance arrived said his father Murray Hood Harris Jr Doctors expect him to recover Harris Jr said Harris has also worked as a deputy chief of staff for US Rep Robert Aderholt R-Haleyville The Associated Press the air and had a lot of fun doing his shows He could run a program and run a station I found him an upbeat positive person People liked Miller sang in a gospel quartet The Rhythm Masters He also had a philanthropic side For at least 20 years he served as host for Birmingham's Labor Day telethon benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association feel good being involved where so many people are Miller said in 1993 so little Birmingham PostIIerald Moodqr Fridqr 9:34400 2IOOColwbaMU Vann Hill 979-7080 ROM WEBER 6:00 MILLER: Also known for radio work From Page 11A to the rock roll songs Miller played from the the broadcast fraternity Neal always was held in high says Everett Holle who was affiliated with NBC affiliate WAPI-TVChannel 13 (now WVTM) from 1950 to 1991 was a good announcer and a good Holle said was clever on (She Simrinoham ftraw THOMAS: evening anchor since 1996 From Page 11A challenged WBRC for the No 1 spot in the competitive nightly news slots sometimes coming out on top Thomas won the Alabama Associated Press Anchor award in 1997 due in part to that meteoric rise Given the high ratings of the news show and his own personal success Thomas said he is at a loss for why the station would be letting him go now trying to put two and two together and come up with four but I in this he said is not an Thomas said the station has not indicated if it will try to enforce die one-year noncompete in his contract love so much about this city and I want to leave he said put down roots here and would hate to pull up Thomas said he came here from Baltimore in 1996 to help launch the new ABC affiliate He said he has known since he was 12 he wanted to be a news anchor and has pursued that career from his hometown of Chicago to Atlanta Baltimore Hartford Conn and Peoria I1L While he has held weekend and morning anchor jobs in other cities Birmingham was his first anchor job in the newscasts that bookend the primetime programming the most sought after jobs in the local news industry HOWTO REACH US MMN NUMBER 325-2222 VyoulnwMarimlaii(M325ttwnthnumbr CMCUUI10N 325-2251 800-283-4001 (tolftM) To ntaftc to report ddhwy pnUm tor luck Inum Bukma horn 5:30 am-S (mil UMlilwt 7-1 1 am SMiadm 7 ul-2 pm Sundw Sn4iw mMMqr due to Mnfc protitomi mMK mot CM beta 10:30 am wMtatay Ham StfuKlwa 2 pm Sundwa Sunday July 7th! Mvomsaw 321-1411 800-283-4015 325-2261 800-2834048 325-3425 325-2434 OMtuariM 325-2444 INi nmiwor pMad on 0 100 mqicM par wd laquMilt 320 Summit Blvd Birmingham (205) 298-0008 TIME SAVE MONEY SUBSCRIBE WITH 1 1 Sled 23 cd the newUrelpxriubiiption payment wi be i to(TWiay charged yourcredk card or chedcing account eidi moidh Open Daily: Sunday: 11:00 4.