Metra worker killed in explosion is identified

Fires and explosions make headlines across the United States daily. Set a Google alert for the term “explosion” or “fire,” and you will be inundated with updates.

Here is a sampling of news items from recent days:

Metra worker killed in explosion identified

From WGN-TV news, Chicago: A Metra worker who was killed after a Nov. 3 explosion on the Northwest Side has been identified.

Omar Solis, 37, and another man were working in the 4500 block of West Byron Street when a tank on a truck exploded about 11:45 a.m., according to officials.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the Metra worker killed as Solis. The other Metra worker was injured and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where his condition has stabilized. He has not been identified.

Seventeen workers were on the scene to finish a project that began last week, according to a Metra spokesperson.

Solis had 17 years in the railroad industry, officials said on the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

A Metra worker who was killed after a Nov. 3 explosion on Chicago’s Northwest Side was identified as Omar Solis, a 17-year veteran of the railroad industry.

Two injured during New Lenox apartment fire

From the Joliet Herald-News: Two people were hospitalized and five families were affected by an apartment building that caught fire Nov. 4 in New Lenox, Illinois.

New Lenox fire crews responded at about 5 a.m. to the 1200 block of Timber Place for a reported structure fire, according to a news release from the New Lenox Fire Protection District. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames coming from the roof of a two-story apartment building with five units.

“The fire began in the attic space, but due to the heavy east winds quickly spread to a larger area, causing the roof to cave in,” NLFPD Battalion Chief Michael Parkhurst said.

The fire was under control by 6:30 a.m., but the second story of the building sustained heavy smoke and fire damage. The first story sustained water damage.

Two people remained stable as they were transported to an area hospital; their conditions were not provided. NLFPD is working with the village of New Lenox to secure a donation point for anyone who would like to help the five families the fire affected, according to the news release.

Multiple agencies – including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – are investigating.

Man critical after Tully apartment fire

From the Cortland Voice: At around 9 a.m. Nov. 4, police and fire crews responded to a reported apartment fire at The Meadows Apartments, located at 1 Village View Drive in the village of Tully, New York.

When firefighters arrived, they located 66-year-old Larry J. Rowley, 66, on the floor of his apartment.

Rowley was carried by fire personnel out of the building and was transported to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where he was listed in critical condition with second-degree burns to both arms and third-degree burns to his face.

The official cause of the fire is still under investigation, but a preliminary report suggests that Rowley may have been smoking inside the apartment while using an oxygen tank, state police said.

State police were assisted by the Tully Fire Department and the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management. Mutual aid was provided by the Otisca Fire Department, Apulia Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., Lafayette Fire Department, Pompey Hill Fire Department, and TLC Ambulance.