February 10, 2012

You are here: Home / Archives for Accidents & Disasters

Science lab explosion injures 5 at SC State

February 7, 2012 By

Five people were hurt in an explosion Monday in a science building at South Carolina State University. A school spokesperson said the explosion happened in a chemistry lab.

The four students and one instructor were treated and released from the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg, according to the Times and Democrat newspaper. Their names were not released. Orangeburg Public Safety officials say between 10 and 15 people were in the lab at Leroy Davis Hall when the small explosion occurred around 4 p.m.

Officials at South Carolina State say a chemical spill led to the explosion. A school spokesman says the Leroy Davis Science Complex was shut down while fire officials and investigators checked out the area. Hodge Hall and Davis Hall were both evacuated and have been closed until further notice for decontamination purposes.

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Education, Featured, News

Wildlife officials fear destructive bat disease could be in SC

February 6, 2012 By

Biologists are afraid a fungus that has killed millions of bats along the East Coast could soon be in South Carolina, if not already.

Little brown bat with white-nose syndrome in Vermont (Courtesy: USFWS)

Called “White-nose syndrome,” it first flared up in New York five years ago and has since wiped out more than 5.5 million bats in 16 states and Canada, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some groups, such as Bat Conservation International, fear the fungus could cause the extinction of the animals completely in some areas.

It was detected in North Carolina’s Transylvania County for the first time last year and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is afraid it will soon reach the mountains of the Upstate. “I really expected to see it last year,” agency biologist Mary Bunch said, “I was relieved not to, but we really expect to see it soon.”

Bunch said the fungus grows on the bats while they are hibernating, causing them to wake up too early in the winter and starve to death with no insects to eat. “It’s really an awful thing to see,” she said, “They’ll die on the landscape. Sometimes, they’ll die right at the entrance to a cave.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Environment & Conservation, Featured, News

9 injured in I-95 wreck near Walterboro

February 6, 2012 By

Authorities are investigating an accident that injured nine people on Interstate 95 near Walterboro around midnight Saturday.

South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers say two cars collided near mile marker 55 northbound. Those cars then veered into the path of an 18-wheeler, causing the truck driver to run off the road. The semi crashed into several trees, before flipping over and bursting into flames.

The truck driver was able to escape injury. Nine other people were injured in the accident, but not seriously. Eight of them went to a nearby hospital. The refrigerated trailer of the semi broke apart, spilling fresh vegetable along the roadside. Charleston TV station WCSC reported the northbound lanes were closed for about three hours for cleanup. 

The Highway Patrol is investigating to determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Featured, News

USC student accused of setting Columbia bar on fire

February 1, 2012 By

Officials have arrested a University of South Carolina student who is accused of setting fire to a popular bar near campus. USC police charged Theodore Podewil, 22, Wednesday for setting the blaze.

Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said Podewil has thrown “Molotov cocktails” at several locations in downtown Columbia over the past month, including the Salty Nut Cafe on January 6. The restaurant remains closed nearly a month later.

The Columbia Fire Department, USC Police, and the State Law Enforcement Division cooperated in the investigation.

Podewil is charged with three counts of possessing an explosive device– which carries up to a 20-year sentence. He also could face four additional charges.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Business, Crime & Courts, News

South Carolina man dies in fall on Carnival cruise

January 29, 2012 By

A Carnival ship’s passenger from South Carolina has died in an apparent fall between decks on a cruise based out of Charleston. CBS news confirms that the 26-year-old fell while the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas and authorities there investigated the death.

The five-day cruise is due back in Charleston Monday. The victim’s name has not been released, but South Carolina Radio Network has confirmed he has family in South Carolina.

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, News
« Older Posts