March 10, 2017
By ABC12 News Team
Richfield Township (WJRT) - There was a large fire (click here) at a big farm in Genesee County on Friday. It is now out after being contained at around 11 a.m.
A big bang woke up Richfield Township residents shortly before 7 a.m.
“Over 20 explosions I think. It rattled the the windows of the house this morning. At first I thought it was maybe a dump truck door slamming or something like that,” said James Jones.
Neighbors believe it was as many as 30 explosions at Hunt Farms, a 120 acre piece of land near Richfield and Henderson roads. Those sounds were followed by large flames and an endless stream of thick, black smoke filling the sky.
“My wife looked out the window and saw all the smoke. We live about a mile and a half away. I called 911,” said Dick Risch.
Hunt Farms has been around since the 1950's and is well known across Mid-Michigan as a grower of soybeans, corn and wheat. A longtime employee says this fire could put the farm's legacy in jeopardy.
“It’s melting the barn down. It's bad. Tractors, planters, semis, everything we were prepping for spring is gone,” said Alex Qualman, employee at Hunt Farms....
Flint, Michigan is in Genesee County. I don't want stupid stuff happening for the citizens of Flint, Michigan.
March 9, 2017
By ABC12 News Team
Fint (WJRT) - You'll see crews (click here) out by the Flint River in about two weeks as they begin to clear out trees and other vegetation.
The area between Harrison Street and East 5th Avenue in Downtown Flint will become a work area for next few months.
By products from the former manufactured gas plant along East Boulevard settled in the river over the last century and Consumers Energy wants to get them out.
"We inherited the problem, we're going to do the right thing and leave it better than we found it," Area Manager Kevin Keane said.
He presented the details of the project to the community Friday, including a warning that once the contaminated soil is removed, it may smell.
"The sediment odor is a lot like roofing tar or moth balls," Keane explained.
"I did not know that that was part of this. So that's new information," said Rebecca Fedewa.
She runs the Flint River Watershed Coalition (click here) and her son goes to school near where the project will be taking place.
"I remember when we had the smell from the compost piles Downtown and how that ended up wafting up. The River just kind of served as a conduit for that smell, hoping that's not going to be what happens again this time," Fedewa said....
