Here's a daily list of recent activities drawing the attention of North Texas law enforcement. List compiled on Jan. 5, 2011.
HOUSE FIRE IGNITES AMMO
The Quinlan Fire Department had a tough time battling a house fire in the 11400 block of Highway 34 Tuesday night. Ammunition inside the home exploded for about 30 minutes. According to the fire department, the homeowner looked out the window of his two-story home in southern Hunt County and saw embers falling in his yard, when he ran outside he saw his home was on fire and called 9-1-1. All of the people and animals in the home made it out safely. Quinlan fighters called for help from eight other area fire departments. Along with the ammo, firefighters had to deal with a lack of water. Since there were no fire hydrants in the area, tankers shuttled water to the scene. It took firefighters three hours to get the fire under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation but it may have started around the chimney.
MAN ARRESTED IN WOMAN'S STABBING DEATH
Irving police arrested Francisco Martinez for the stabbing death of a woman inside an apartment at the Kensington Park Apartments in the 3400 block of West Country Club Road in Irving. Police have not released the woman's name or her relationship to Martinez. A 3-year-old boy found uninjured inside the apartment is staying with family members.
DOWNED FIBER OPTIC LINE CLOSES SH 114
Grapevine police said morning rush hour was brought to a standstill after an excavator knocked down fiber optic lines on State Highway 114 at State Highway 26 Wednesday morning. The Texas Department of Transportation said eastbound and westbound lanes of SH114 were closed as repairs were made to the line on the DFW Connector Corridor.
WRONG WAY ACCIDENT on I-30
A driver traveling the wrong way on eastbound I-30 at Cooper Street in Arlington caused a three-car accident that shutdown the highway late Tuesday night according to Arlington police. Dispatch said the driver was westbound in the eastbound lanes when the collision happened just before midnight. No one was seriously injured. All eastbound lanes of I-30 were closed as crews cleared debris.
11 HURT IN WRECK WITH FW CITY BUS
A two-vehicle wreck involving a Fort Worth municipal bus has left nearly a dozen people hurt. A spokeswoman for the Fort Worth Transportation Authority says the accident happened Tuesday night at an intersection when the bus was hit while going through a green light. Joan Hunter says 10 bus passengers and the driver of the Nissan that struck the larger vehicle were taken to hospitals, all with apparent minor injuries. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports another bus was called and the remaining 18 passengers continued on their route. Police are investigating the accident.
TEXAS SHERIFF's DEPUTY DIES 8 DAYS AFTER ACCIDENT
A Houston-area sheriff's deputy has died eight days after he was critically injured in a car accident while responding to a call for backup at a traffic stop. Fort Bend County sheriff's spokeswoman Terriann Carlson said Deputy John Norsworthy died Monday at a Houston hospital from injuries sustained in the Dec. 27 accident. Authorities say another motorist failed to yield the right of way to Norsworthy. His patrol car flipped when he swerved to avoid a collision, and he was trapped under the vehicle for an hour. Authorities say he was wearing a seat belt. Norsworthy leaves behind a wife, a 16-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
NEW DETAILS IN LAWMAKER'S WRECK, TEXAN DEAD
A report on a deadly head-on crash involving a Colorado legislator indicates her 3-year-old grandson was ejected and she returned him to her SUV after the wreck. The Department of Public Safety on Wednesday released a preliminary report on the Dec. 26 evening accident near Channing. Sen. Suzanne Williams of Aurora, Colo., her son and two grandsons survived. She was driving. The accident killed a pregnant passenger in the other vehicle, Brianna Gomez of Amarillo. Doctors saved her unborn son. Her husband and two other children also survived. Investigators say the Williams SUV drifted into oncoming traffic. The report says "(Williams)" moved the ejected boy to the car seat in the vehicle." DPS did not immediately clarify whether the reference meant a child safety seat. No charges have been filed. Williams didn't immediately comment Wednesday.
HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL CLOSED FOR ANIMAL FAT SPILL
Workers with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office used pitchforks on Wednesday to pierce and remove chunks of beef fat clogging the Houston Ship Channel, shutting down nearly a mile of one of the nation's busiest marine arteries. No ship traffic is delayed, however, because the spill occurred at the end of the waterway, said Richard Brahms, a spokesman with the Coast Guard. Some 15,000 gallons of animal fat poured into the channel through a storm drain on Tuesday after an onshore storage tank owned by agricultural company Jacob Sterns and Sons leaked 250,000 gallons of the greasy substance, Brahms said. Unlike oil, beef fat doesn't create a colorful sheen on the surface of the water that can be skimmed off, Brahms said. "When it hit the water it instantly thickened," Brahms said. "It turned into a thick pattie, which is pretty much what we're cleaning up now." The workers are using pitchforks to lift 1 foot-by-1 foot chunks of cream-colored fat and hope to complete the job later Wednesday, Brahms said. At the latest, the channel will reopen to ship traffic by early Thursday. Brahms said the cause of the tank leak is being investigated. He could not say what the fat would be used for. Jacob Sterns and Sons did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
