Forest fire forces 96 from homes
Big Flats, Wis. A small brush fire quickly escalated into a 3,900-acre forest fire in central Wisconsin Thursday, forcing at least 96 people from their homes, officials said.
No one was injured, said Jennifer Rabuck, fire information officer for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
About 120 buildings, including homes, barns and sheds, were within the perimeter of the fire that followed Highway 13 in Big Flats and Colburn in rural Adams County, Rabuck said.
Fire officials were concentrating on containing and extinguishing the blaze and weren’t sure how many buildings were affected, she said. Several subdivisions were burned, Rabuck said; she wasn’t sure to what extent.
At least 96 people were staying at an elementary school in rural Adams County. She said others may be staying with friends or family.
By Thursday night, firefighters had about 50 percent of the fire contained and planned to work through the night to take advantage of cooler temperatures.
One reported dead in Guard copter crash
Raleigh, N.C. An Army National Guard helicopter carrying two crew members crashed late Thursday while on a training mission, authorities said.
The wreckage of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was found by sheriff’s deputies, said Guard spokesman Sgt. Brian Christiansen. He said a Guard recovery team was heading to the site, about 35 miles southwest of Raleigh.
WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported that one crew member was killed.
The chopper took off from Morrisville shortly before 7 p.m.; Christiansen said he did not know its destination.
‘Serial litterer’ banned from Virginia county
Berryville, Va. A West Virginia man – branded a “serial litterer” by a Virginia prosecutor – was banned from a border county for two years for repeatedly driving across the state line to dump trash.
General District Court Judge Norman deVere Morrison warned Parviz Modaber, 73, of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., he could go to jail if he violates the order.
“If you’re found in Clarke County, bring your toothbrush,” he told Modaber in court Wednesday.
Modaber, who has been diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, has been convicted of littering four times since October 2000. After his third conviction in May 2003, he was fined $2,500, ordered to perform 300 hours of community service and given a one-year suspended jail sentence. His fourth offense came six months later.
Prosecutor Suzanne Perka asked the judge to reinstate some or all of the suspended jail time. “We tried counseling, we tried suspended jail time, we tried large fines. We were sort of at our wits end,” Perka said.
Paul Morrison, Modaber’s attorney, argued for additional counseling.
Morrison said his client has an unspecified disagreement with the state. “He takes out his dislike for the state of Virginia on Clarke County,” the attorney said.