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sondheimmcgeekThis is one of the latest news stories in Louisiana:
In an odd incident that St. Bernard Fire Chief Thomas Stone said he was afraid might happen, a fire erupted Wednesday night among the rubble of an Arabi home torn down by the private Christian Contractors Association, and a propane tank and oxygen cylinder were found in its remains. A leader of the group said he didn’t know the materials were in the rubble before tearing down the home.
Also, in a separate but also odd incident, a large stash of fireworks were found Thursday morning in the rubble of another Arabi home demolished by the same private group but no fire broke out.
“This is what we’ve been concerned about,’’ Stone said of the fire on the corner of Esteban Street and Mustang Drive, near the former Arabi Park Middle School.
The hazardous materials apparently weren’t found in the home before demolition by the Christian Contractors Association, which has demolished hundreds of homes that property owners asked to be razed. The group has been leaving demolished houses on lots until FEMA decides if it will pay for the parish’s regular contractor, Unified Recovery Group, to haul away the rubble once it is placed on a street curb.
Stone said it is unclear what started the fire on Esteban, which created a ball of flames in the night. The fire was put out by early Thursday.
Robert McKee, local coordinator for Christian Contractors Association, said his group looked at the home that caught fire but never saw any propane tank or oxygen cylinder.
In the other incident, a home in the 200 block of Bear Drive that was demolished by McKee’s group was found Thursday morning to have a large amount of bottle rockets and other types of fireworks. The owner of the home, who wasn’t identified, acknowledged to authorities that fireworks had been in the garage, according to an official of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
More than 20 five-gallon pales containing fireworks were hauled away by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Possession of fireworks are illegal in St. Bernard Parish but no criminal charges were filed.
Stone said the homeowner was likely storing the fireworks for sale or use and they got flooded by Hurricane Katrina. Gunpowder becomes unstable when it gets wet and dries, Stone said, but no fire erupted.
Now why do I find this funny? Well, the house that had the garage full of fireworks (the part in bold) is my uncle's house. Yes, he had a garage stocked with fireworks and they were found after they demolished his house. Luckily, he was honest with them from the get go, so I doubt he'll face any charges (because you know the St. Bernard police and New Orleans in general are really tough on people who sell firecrackers and whatnot. They care so much).
Here's a picture of the domolished house:
In an odd incident that St. Bernard Fire Chief Thomas Stone said he was afraid might happen, a fire erupted Wednesday night among the rubble of an Arabi home torn down by the private Christian Contractors Association, and a propane tank and oxygen cylinder were found in its remains. A leader of the group said he didn’t know the materials were in the rubble before tearing down the home.
Also, in a separate but also odd incident, a large stash of fireworks were found Thursday morning in the rubble of another Arabi home demolished by the same private group but no fire broke out.
“This is what we’ve been concerned about,’’ Stone said of the fire on the corner of Esteban Street and Mustang Drive, near the former Arabi Park Middle School.
The hazardous materials apparently weren’t found in the home before demolition by the Christian Contractors Association, which has demolished hundreds of homes that property owners asked to be razed. The group has been leaving demolished houses on lots until FEMA decides if it will pay for the parish’s regular contractor, Unified Recovery Group, to haul away the rubble once it is placed on a street curb.
Stone said it is unclear what started the fire on Esteban, which created a ball of flames in the night. The fire was put out by early Thursday.
Robert McKee, local coordinator for Christian Contractors Association, said his group looked at the home that caught fire but never saw any propane tank or oxygen cylinder.
In the other incident, a home in the 200 block of Bear Drive that was demolished by McKee’s group was found Thursday morning to have a large amount of bottle rockets and other types of fireworks. The owner of the home, who wasn’t identified, acknowledged to authorities that fireworks had been in the garage, according to an official of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
More than 20 five-gallon pales containing fireworks were hauled away by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Possession of fireworks are illegal in St. Bernard Parish but no criminal charges were filed.
Stone said the homeowner was likely storing the fireworks for sale or use and they got flooded by Hurricane Katrina. Gunpowder becomes unstable when it gets wet and dries, Stone said, but no fire erupted.
Now why do I find this funny? Well, the house that had the garage full of fireworks (the part in bold) is my uncle's house. Yes, he had a garage stocked with fireworks and they were found after they demolished his house. Luckily, he was honest with them from the get go, so I doubt he'll face any charges (because you know the St. Bernard police and New Orleans in general are really tough on people who sell firecrackers and whatnot. They care so much).
Here's a picture of the domolished house:
