“Mutton Bustin'” fun Tuesday night at the 2013 Ellis County Fair Rodeo, with “play by play” announcer Monte Williams, Alliance, Nebraska.

Sheep provided by McClain’s Mutton Busting, Republican City, Nebraska.

Three Hays Police officers, who are also members of the Special Situation Response Team, will be honored Friday by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.

Officers Brandon Hauptman and Chris Hancock, along with Investigator Aaron Larson, will be recognized with the organization’s Silver Award for their work in a stand-off last December 19 in south Hays.

Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler says a 53-year-old man was threatening a family member with a rifle.   After nearly four hours, with a blizzard threatening, officers were forced to take the man into custody:

Chief Scheibler says the plan required the entire SSRT team to work together.

 

 

 

The new Downtown Hays Market has been drawing lots of vendors and customers since June 8.

Now it’s “officially” open, following Wednesday afternoon’s ribbon cutting with the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

The market is situated in the 10th Street parking lot between Main and Fort Streets.

The north side of the parking lot is temporarily closed because of a water main break Monday afternoon.  The leak is fixed, but the bricks and street still need some repair and cleanup.

Saturday  the market will be open extended hours, 7a.m.-1p.m.,  in conjunction with the annual Blues BBQ & Bargains event.

(Photo courtesy Hays Area Chamber of Commerce)

 

Duct tape projects.  Crafts and paintings.  Creations made of Legos.  They’re all part of the 4-H Visual Arts project.

Judging the entries for this year’s Ellis County Fair is Vicky Wallace, Pawnee County 4-H Master Volunteer:

Wallace is a busy judge, with more four more county fairs this week and two next week.  She also judges entomology, geology, aerospace, robotics, horticulture, and dog shows.

 

 

More pictures from the scene of a train derailment and subsequent fire in Hays early Tuesday morning.  These photos , courtesy Harrison Brent, were taken between 7:30 and 8a.m.

UPDATE 11:50am:  Residents evacuated from the the mobile home park just south of the train derailment have returned home.

Residents of the mobile home park located at 1000 East 8th Street were evacuated early this morning when 12 cars of a westbound Union Pacific train derailed just east of 8th and Vine Street.

According to Maureen Duffy, American Red Cross-Hays, the ARC shelter at Holy Family Elementary School’s gymnasium is housing 14 evacuees, including children.

HFE principal Rachel Wentling notified students’ parents this morning that the “HFE Activity Center is being used as a shelter for people evacuated due to the train derailment. The uniform sale has been moved to the gym.”

Traffic on the east side of Vine and 8th Streets remains closed as firefighters continue pouring water and foam on the burning train cars.  Some businesses are without electricity and gas.

 

 

Officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are on the scene of the Union Pacific train derailment and fire in south Hays.

KDHE, along with city of Hays officials, are working with firefighters to contain the water, chemical foam and diesel fuel mixture coming off the fire scene:

Incident Media Spokesperson Kerry McCue, Ellis County EMS Director, talks about the fire caused by a train derailment about 1:15 this morning near 8th and Vine Streets:

Firefighters and other emergency personnel are on the scene of a westbound train derailment in Hays that happened about 1:15 this morning.

Two of three locomotive engines are on fire; the train had just refueled with diesel in Salina.

Here are some scenes of the fire shot by Harrison Brent, who was outside a south Vine Street establishment when the derailment occurred:

“The only way I can describe the noise is ‘mechanical thunder.’  It sounded like it was coming from everywhere, turning into a ‘metal on metal’ din.”

5:45am FROM THE CITY OF HAYS:

Tuesday morning a Westbound train derailed just east of the intersection of 8th and Vine. Citizens are asked to avoid the area of Hwy bypass to 10th and Hwy bypass to Riley St.

Non-emergency personnel will not be allowed in the area.

Two of three locomotives are on fire. Fire is being contained and under control. There are a total of 12 train cars down containing general cargo and freight. Twenty cars with ethanol on board are still upright and on the tracks.

Due to the large amounts of water needed for the fire citizens are asked to conserve water. Please refrain from any outside watering until further notice.

There will be a press briefing at 8AM.

5:35am:  The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at Holy Family Elementary School for people who were evacuated from a mobile home park near the derailment.  ARC is also supplying canteening for the responders.

4:50am:  Firefighters remain on the scene of a 12-car train derailment just east of the Highway 183 and 8th Street junction.  Incident Commander Kerry McCue, Ellis County Emergency Medical Services Director,  says “it’s going to be a long operation, probably 12 to 15 more hours before the fire is out.”

Officials now know 12 cars containing general freight cargo are on their side.  The 80-car train, believed to be Union Pacific, was westbound when it apparently struck a train car on the track.  McCue says the fire involves a full load of diesel fuel powering the engines and is not subject to explosion.

The three train engineers are not injured.

There is no danger to the public, says McCue, although a 900-square-foot area surrounding the incident site is closed to traffic and a handful of local businesses will not be able to open later this morning.

3:40am:  Officials have determined there is no danger of explosions because the train was not carrying any pressurized tanks

3:34a.m. Train engineers are accounted for and safe; no injuries to them.

3:24a.m.:  Ellis County EMS Director Kerry McCue tells Hays Post News there is no ethanol leak from the 40 derailed train cars.  The train was carrying ethanol tanks but those did not derail.  Emergency and haz-mat crews are fighting fires from the diesel fuel which powers the train engines.

2:59am:  A trailer park south of the derailment has been evacuated as a precaution.

About 40 train cars are derailed near Canterbury Drive and Old Highway 40.

2:49a.m.:  A law enforcement officer blocking traffic from the scene tells Hays Post News there are concerns the derailed train, near Vine Street and Old Highway 40, might explode.  It’s believed to be carrying ethanol and coal.

2:19a.m.:  A train has apparently derailed in the vicinity of 8th and Vine Streets in Hays about an hour ago.    Bystanders report seeing fire in that area, which remains completely blocked off by law enforcement officials at this time.

Hays Post will have more details as they become available.

(Pictures by Harrison Brent, Bill Ring, Becky Kiser)