THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997 TAG: 9701310546
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 44 lines
A fire in a dumpster spread smoke into two downtown buildings Thursday night and forced a brief evacuation of the WTKR-TV studios shortly before the station's 10 p.m. newscast.
The blaze broke out in a large dumpster set along Voss Street, a narrow, one-way alley between The Virginian-Pilot building and WTKR. The dumpster was being used by construction crews renovating the television station's newsroom. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Flames were shooting from the dumpster as the first fire truck arrived shortly after the blaze was reported at 9:13 p.m. As soon as firefighters started pouring water on it, the flames diminished. But then the smoke became a problem.
Air intakes on both buildings picked up the fumes, spreading a thick gray cloud throughout the WTKR building and into parts of the newspaper office.
More fire trucks were sent to the scene when cafeteria personnel at The Pilot, unaware of the dumpster blaze, called for help in fear the smoke meant their building was ablaze.
At WTKR, dozens of staff members took to the safety - and clearer air - of the streets until firefighters were able to set up large fans to begin expelling smoke.
Even then, the main studios were so filled with smoke that staff prepared to broadcast the 10 and 11 p.m. news shows from a makeshift set.
Just 15 minutes before the 10 p.m. airtime, however, the fire department was able to bring in a large, high-volume exhaust system that quickly restored reasonably clear - if not pleasant-smelling - air to the studios.
``Do not adjust your television sets, this is soot you see flying around,'' co-anchor LeAnne Rains told viewers. The blaze even had its impact on the weather. ``The temperature on the weather deck rose to about 85 degrees,'' said forecaster Greg Padgett.
The incident brought back memories of last year's downtown blackout, which forced WTKR to broadcast the news from the street, complete with cardboard drawings for weather maps.
First a power failure. Now a fire. What next, an earthquake? ``We're ready for the big one,'' News Director Barbara Hamm promised with a laugh. And a cough.
KEYWORDS: FIRE