Somerset —
General Electric employees were able to return to work shortly after a fire at the local plant which appeared harrowing from the outside late Saturday night.According to the Somerset Fire Department, responders were called to the scene on University Drive around 10:20 p.m. Saturday night.
The fire was in the main factory wing of the plant, according to the Somerset Fire Department.
“There was heavy smoke showing from the building on arrival,” said SFD’s Roger Colyer, “and heavy fire showing from the building.”
Flames were visible from the roof of the building, which is where the GE plant operations manager Ron Dowell said the fire was located in a statement released to the Commonwealth Journal.
Firefighters entered the building and found employees attempting to extinguish the flames inside. From there, “it was a quick knockdown,” said Colyer. He reported that the damage to the facility was not severe, but most likely “moderate damage.”
Dowell said that “the fire was extinguished in minutes.” One minor injury occurred to an employee who slipped while leaving the building, he said (the identity was not released); other than that, there were no injuries during the fire.
Third-shift employees came to work and spent their time preparing the plant for start-up. By 7 a.m., Sunday, the plant was back to full production, said Dowell.
The outside fire that was visible from the roof was extinguished with use of a ladder truck, said Colyer, “and then we did the inside attack.”
Colyer reported that the plant did all the right things, including evacuating employees from the building in an efficient manner. “Everything went real well,” said Colyer.
There were 35 firefighter personnel on the scene, said Colyer, and seven engines. In addition to the Somerset Fire Department, assistance was received from the Science Hill, Parkers Mil, and Dabney Fire Departments, Somerset Police, and Somerset-Pulaski County EMS.
Firefighters were on the scene until about 11:40 p.m.
The plant manufactures glass products for lighting fixtures, specifically those used in vehicles.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, although the SFD stated Sunday that it may have to do with a press equipment malfunction.
Local News
Related Photos
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A fire took place late Saturday night around 10:20 p.m. at the General Electric plant on University Drive in Somerset. No one was injured as a result of the blaze, reported the plant in a statement Monday.
GE Plant reports no injuries after weekend fire
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Big Bang Theory
Pulaski County is not at war. The booming you may hear at dusk is mock cannon fire to scare away birds.
Stuart Spillman, environmental director for the Lake Cumberland Health Department, said at least three cannons are on loan from the department to residents who want to scare away swarms of starlings and blackbirds settling in to roost.
He said a cannon is being used by a resident on Laura Lane off Ky. 39; another is in the Oak Hill Road area and a third is on Ashurst Street in the eastern part of Somerset.
Spillman said a timer on each cannon allows it to “fire” at whatever frequency is desired. The cannons must be used as the birds circle before going to roost. “After they settle in, nothing will chase them out,” Spillman said.
The Health Department doesn’t operate the cannons unless there is a specific complaint in an area where there are lots of birds, Spillman noted. He said so far this year the birds are not as bad as in the past. -
Boil water advisory is lifted countywide
The water controversy that Pulaski County has been boiling over — so to speak — for the last week is finally over.
At 10 minutes after noon Wednesday, the “boil water” advisory for the Western Pulaski Water District was lifted — almost a full week after the problems began around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler thanked the public for its patience and understanding during the duration of the boil water advisory — put in place to keep citizens from drinking water that could have been contaminated after an accident last Thursday at the water plant site — and also thanked all the city employees for their hard work during this time.
“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.
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