The explosion of a food truck in Philadelphia that injured 12 people on July 1 has prompted changes well beyond the city limits. The St. Louis fire marshal's office started checks of food truck propane tanks this past Friday.
NewsChannel 5 in St. Louis reports that a staff member of the marshal's office checked propane tanks for leaks at Food Truck Friday in Tower Grove Park, a regular event that draws up to 5,000 people.
That staff member also informed vendors that the regulation of food trucks would now be handled by the city's building department, while the fire marshal would remain in control of propane tank inspections.
The city could not comment on the impact of the Philadelphia explosion on future food truck regulations.
The Skippack Fire Department in Pennsylvania is working with the Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team and utilities to determine the source of a gas with a strong odor that has caused the evacuation of numerous homes in the Fairlawn Court development off Gorski Lane and Route 113.
American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania workers arrived in Skippack Township Sunday evening to assist with evacuations after a volatile chemical compound was found present by the fire department in about 100 homes.
"Something don't smell right," said Fairlawn Court resident Matt Loughan after his wife called the strange odor to his attention.
"As soon as I walked in, my meter went into alarm and in each unit we kept getting readings," said Fire Chief Haydn Marriott.
Neighbors along North Gorski Lane began leaving their homes voluntarily after noticing a smelly odor around 7 p.m. Originally, officials said that the odor was hydrogen cyanide in the Montgomery County homes. Hydrogen cyanide is a bi-product of fires and can be deadly in high concentrations.
However, officials are now saying that the odor is a volatile chemical compound and they are unsure if it is specifically hydrogen cyanide. Residents were asked to open their windows and stand outside their homes. According to the Montgomery County Emergency Response team, about 150 people were evacuated but only residents who have a gas leak reading must stay out. Any resident who experienced a headache or nausea is encourged to seek medical attention to get checked out.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and federal Environmental Protection Agency have been requested to assist with the response. The Red Cross is assisting four families, 10 people total, at a shelter at Skippack Elementary School on Heckler Road. The shelter is for residents who need somewhere to go and pets are permitted.
Eventhough residents acted quickly, concerns remain regarding what has caused the substance.
"I'm a little concerned. I'm glad my kids are at my parents' house because my daugher would be freaking out," said evacuated resident Heather Wilson.
Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.
A sport utility vehicle was seen going down a boat ramp and into the Delaware River Sunday just before 11:00 p.m., according to Philadelphia Police.
The SUV was at the intersection of State Road and Linden Avenue in the Torresdale section of the city when it entered the water.
Police say the victim lost control of the vehicle and drove the truck into the river.
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A woman is in police custody following a double shooting that injured a man and woman in South Philadelphia overnight.
Both the 25-year-old man and 43-year-old woman are in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after being shot on 18th and Tasker Avenue around 3:30 a.m. Monday.
The male victim was shot in the shoulder. The woman, in the hand, according to police.
A police officer says he heard people screaming for police, turned the corner and say the violent scene.
A 54-year-old woman is in police custody.
No motive has been released.
Police were called to the scene of what they're calling a "nuisance house" in Upper Darby Township full of drugs, filth and paraphernalia.
The house on the 200 block of Westpark Lane in Clifton Heights was raided by police Friday after police received several calls from neighbors about needles and empty drug baggies on the sidewalk near the house, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.
“This is clearly a quality of life issue in the middle of a nice family residential neighborhood,” police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told the Delco Times. “This is one of those neighborhood nuisance crack houses."
The Times reports that police confiscated containers of suspected marijuana and cocaine, pills, and metal pipes that may have been used to consume drugs.
Edward Malm, 44, and Anthony Caserta, 33, who were living in the house, were arrested on drug violations.
Chitwood told the Daily Times that Malm was found in the living room and Caserta was in the dark basement.
He says that more than a hundred people gathered around the house and cheered when the men were arrested. Some residents even came up to the officers to personally thank them for “giving them their street back."
The Police Superintendent also told the Times that there was an illegal apartment being rented out in the basement.
Both the drugs and the illegal living quarters caused the health department to declare the house unfit for human habitation.
Both men are facing charges in relation to drugs and the home. They're being held on $40,000 bail.
Community College of Philadelphia was closed Monday.
The main campus of the college was closed due to a weather-related power outage, according to the school's website.
Originally, CCP was scheduled to re-open at noon, but school officials announced the full-day closure shortly before.
College email and MyCCP are also unavailable due to the outage.
Community College of Philadelphia is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street.
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Louis "Red" Klotz, former NBA player and the owner of the Harlem Globetrotters' longtime opponents, has died at his Jersey Shore home.
Klotz, 93, passed away in his sleep at his Margate, N.J. home on Saturday, the Harlem Globetrotters said. He was surrounded by family.
The former South Philadelphia High School basketball star helped the school win two city championships in 1939 and 1940. After graduating, he moved from the public league to Villanova University's program on a scholarship.
Red, as he was known, eventually went to play in the NBA as part of the Baltimore Bullets during the 1947-48 season.
He later formed a partnership with the Globetrotters in 1952 and remained with the organization for more than 60 years, according to the team. Under his tenure, Klotz formed several Globetrotter opponents including the New Jersey Reds, Boston Shamrocks and Washington Generals. His teams would play more than 400 games a year.
"Red was truly an ambassador of the sport and as much a part of the Globetrotters' legacy as anyone ever associated with the organization,"Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider said in a statement. "He was a legend and a global treasure. His love of the game – and his love of people – will certainly be missed."
The last time one of Klotz's teams beat the Globetrotters was on Jan. 5, 1971. The then 50-year-old New Jersey Reds player and coach scored the game winning basket with seconds to go. The final score was 100-99.
Klotz is survived by his wife of 72-years, Gloria, as well as other family.
A romantic night turned hot and spicy when a couple was caught allegedly having sex on a Chipotle roof in Delaware Saturday.
Michael Suh, 38, and Nicole Germack, 27, were arrested after an officer observed them engaging in sexual intercourse on the front of the roof of the Chipotle restaurant on the 100 block of East Main Street, Newark Police said in a press release.
The officer advised the couple to stop having sex, but they continued for almost 20 seconds, according to authorities.
When they finally stopped, they fled from the roof and into Suh's apartment a few feet away, said police.
The couple was placed under arrest inside the home. Both were released after paying $1,800.
Suh and Germack are facing multiple charges including lewdness and resisting arrest. It was not immediately clear if either had obtained an attorney.
After a police officer was allegedly assaulted by a school board member from the Penns Grove-Carneys Point school district in New Jersey last Thursday, members of the community planned to protest tonight before a Board of Education meeting.
Board Member Walter Hudson, 33, shoved an officer to the ground and punched him, according to witnesses at the scene, at Penns Grove Middle School last week. Hudson was arrested and held on $10,000 bail.
Parents, teachers, and other community members have come together on a Facebook page called ‘Standing Up for Our Students.’ They plan to protest outside the district office tonight at 6 p.m. demanding answers from the school board.
On the page, their complaints go beyond Hudson. They discuss a gas leak in the school building, an unexplained spike in graduation rates, lack of elective classes and not replacing teachers.
Susan Wolfer, a parent who has children in the school district, wrote: “Parents have reached their boiling point and at this time are demanding answers from the district. The middle school is crumbling.”
The school board meeting will be held tonight at 100 Iona Ave in Penns Grove at 7 p.m.
Trump Plaza has officially notified its 900 employees that the Atlantic City casino is headed for closure.
The 908-room hotel and gambling hall at Mississippi Avenue and The Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. distributed state-mandated WARN notices to staff early Monday. In the notice, management said the casino and hotel would most likely cease operations between Sept. 16 and Sept. 30.
NBC10.com first reported on Friday that the announcement was imminent.
In a statement, the casino's parent company Trump Entertainment Resorts said it has been "reviewing alternatives for the property" and while a final decision has not yet been made they expect to shut down operations.
Among Atlantic City's 11 casinos, Trump Plaza has pulled in the lowest amount of gambling revenue. Through the end of May, it made only $21.9 million. Comparatively, its sister property Trump Taj Mahal made $89.4 million. Borgata pulled in the most revenue with nearly $255 million during the same period.
Trump Plaza opened in 1984 and was one of three casinos owned by real estate mogul Donald Trump. He later reduced the size of his holdings two two casinos, selling the Trump Marina in 2011.
Should the casino close, it will be the third Atlantic City gambling hall to shut down this year. The Atlantic Club Casino shut down in January and Showboat is set to close in August.
Revel, the city's newest casino, is also entering bankruptcy protection for a second time in as many years. Its management warned a judge that they might have to shut down operations as well if a buyer is not found.
Trump Plaza's closure coupled with others could drop the number of gambling halls to nine and leave just one bearing Donald Trump's name -- the Trump Taj Mahal.
Looking for a new place to unwind this summer?
Curbed Philly mapped out 11 parks they consider unsung and underrated -- not necessarily the top tourist spots or picture spots in Philly, but maybe some of them should be?
The list includes hidden treasures like the Bio Pond on UPenn's campus.
Some of the other parks deemed worth your while this summer include:
Tacony Creek Park, Liberty Lands Park, Malcolm X Park and the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum.
Curbed Philly, which focuses on development and neighborhood trends, mapped out the parks as part of its Outdoors Week project which ramps up to a vote for the city's best dog park. You can check out the full list of parks on their website.
A woman was stopped by a vehicle with red-and-blue emergency lights, but the driver might not have been an officer of the law.
A gruesome discovery in the Kensington section of the city early Monday morning has sparked a police investigation.
Investigators say the body of a 23-year-old woman was found inside a duffel bag on the 2200 block of North 3rd Street around 5:45 a.m. A man was looking through trash outside a building on 2224 N. 3rd Street when he discovered the woman's body wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed inside the duffel bag.
Police also say a burning car was found on the 1600 block of S. Bambrey Street in South Philadelphia around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning that may be connected to the unidentified woman's death.
According to NBC10 sources, the car is a 2011 Toyota registered to Lorenzo Araujo of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Officials have not yet determined the cause of death or how long the body was inside the bag.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
