COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A fire on a large oil tanker drifting off Sri Lanka's coast was extinguished on Sunday after burning for three days, as a team of experts moved to salvage the vessel, the country's navy said. Four tugboats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and six Indian ships battled the fire on the MT New Diamond since Thursday. Five Sri Lankan coast guard ships and gunboats also took part in the effort. "As of now, the fire has been completely extinguished," the navy chief, Vice Adm. Nishantha Ulugetenne, said in comments that were broadcast on local TV channels. But he cautioned that there is a risk of another fire erupting due to the heat of the ship's iron plates. Earlier Sunday, the navy said a team of experts was already on one of the tugboats. Another 10 British and Dutch professionals, including rescue operation specialists, disaster evaluators and legal consultants, were also expected to join the mission to salvage the ship. With its engines shut down, the tanker - carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil - drifted about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Sri Lanka's eastern coast on Friday before a tugboat towed it farther out to sea. The fire killed one crew member and injured another. Both are Filipino. The injured third engineer was hospitalized in stable condition. The fire began in an engine room boiler but did not spread to the tanker's oil storage area and no leak has been reported, the navy said. Sri Lankan officials have warned of possible massive environmental damage to Sri Lanka if the ship leaks or explodes. The head of Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority, Darshani Lahandapur, had said the Indian Ocean island nation does not have the resources or capacity to combat such a massive disaster and...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A fire on a large oil tanker drifting off Sri Lanka's coast was extinguished on Sunday after burning for three days, as a team of experts moved to salvage the vessel, the country's navy said. Four tugboats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and six Indian ships battled the fire on the MT New Diamond since Thursday. Five Sri Lankan coast guard ships and gunboats also took part in the effort. "As of now, the fire has been completely extinguished," the navy chief, Vice Adm. Nishantha Ulugetenne, said in comments that were broadcast on local TV channels. But he cautioned that there is a risk of another fire erupting due to the heat of the ship's iron plates. Earlier Sunday, the navy said a team of experts was already on one of the tugboats. Another 10 British and Dutch professionals, including rescue operation specialists, disaster evaluators and legal consultants, were also expected to join the mission to salvage the ship. With its engines shut down, the tanker - carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil - drifted about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Sri Lanka's eastern coast on Friday before a tugboat towed it farther out to sea. The fire killed one crew member and injured another. Both are Filipino. The injured third engineer was hospitalized in stable condition. The fire began in an engine room boiler but did not spread to the tanker's oil storage area and no leak has been reported, the navy said. Sri Lankan officials have warned of possible massive environmental damage to Sri Lanka if the ship leaks or explodes. The head of Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority, Darshani Lahandapur, had said the Indian Ocean island nation does not have the resources or capacity to combat such a massive disaster and...

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - The death toll from a gas pipeline explosion in a mosque outside Bangladesh's capital rose to 24 on Sunday while authorities were examining how a leakage caused the accident during evening prayers. A 7-year-old boy who went to pray with his father in Narayanganj district was among the dead. The father's condition is critical. The series of explosions triggered a fire Friday night as worshipers were finishing their prayers. At least 37 people were admitted to a burn unit in a state-run hospital in Dhaka, where 24 subsequently died. Doctors said the others were critical as they suffered burns on up to 90% of their bodies. Officials said the impact of the blast caused at least six air conditioners to also explode, baffling the devotees, as the fire rapidly raced through the packed mosque. Authorities said they suspected gas had accumulated inside the mosque from a leak in the underground pipeline. The windows were shut because of the air conditioners.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - The death toll from a gas pipeline explosion in a mosque outside Bangladesh's capital rose to 24 on Sunday while authorities were examining how a leakage caused the accident during evening prayers. A 7-year-old boy who went to pray with his father in Narayanganj district was among the dead. The father's condition is critical. The series of explosions triggered a fire Friday night as worshipers were finishing their prayers. At least 37 people were admitted to a burn unit in a state-run hospital in Dhaka, where 24 subsequently died. Doctors said the others were critical as they suffered burns on up to 90% of their bodies. Officials said the impact of the blast caused at least six air conditioners to also explode, baffling the devotees, as the fire rapidly raced through the packed mosque. Authorities said they suspected gas had accumulated inside the mosque from a leak in the underground pipeline. The windows were shut because of the air conditioners.

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (AP) - Three fast-spreading California wildfires sent people fleeing Saturday, with one trapping campers at a reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, as a brutal heat wave pushed temperatures into triple digits in many parts of state. The wildfire burning near Shaver Lake exploded to 56 square miles (145 square kilometers), jumped a river and compromised the only road into the Mammoth Pool Campground, national forest spokesman Dan Tune said. At least 2,000 structures were threatened in the area about 290 miles (467 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, where temperatures in the city's San Fernando Valley reached 117 degrees. The Fresno Fire Department tweeted late Saturday night that 63 people were rescued from the campground by military helicopters and that two of them were severely injured, 10 were moderately injured and 51 others had minor or no injuries. The Madera County Sheriff's Department said in a tweet earlier Saturday that about 150 people were at the campground's boat launch, and 10 of them were injured. "All are safe at this time," the department tweeted. Officers also were evacuating Beasore Meadows. a large ranch in the Sierra National Forest, on Saturday night, the department tweeted. The Sacramento Bee reported that agencies were coordinating an aircraft rescue for crews to come and safely evacuate them. Tune said the campers were told to shelter in place until fire crews, aided by water-dropping aircraft, could gain access to the site. Tune said he didn't know how close the fire was burning to the campsite. "All our resources are working to make that escape route nice and safe for them," he said. The lake 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Fresno is surrounded by thick pine forests and is a popular destination for...

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (AP) - Three fast-spreading California wildfires sent people fleeing Saturday, with one trapping campers at a reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, as a brutal heat wave pushed temperatures into triple digits in many parts of state. The wildfire burning near Shaver Lake exploded to 56 square miles (145 square kilometers), jumped a river and compromised the only road into the Mammoth Pool Campground, national forest spokesman Dan Tune said. At least 2,000 structures were threatened in the area about 290 miles (467 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, where temperatures in the city's San Fernando Valley reached 117 degrees. The Fresno Fire Department tweeted late Saturday night that 63 people were rescued from the campground by military helicopters and that two of them were severely injured, 10 were moderately injured and 51 others had minor or no injuries. The Madera County Sheriff's Department said in a tweet earlier Saturday that about 150 people were at the campground's boat launch, and 10 of them were injured. "All are safe at this time," the department tweeted. Officers also were evacuating Beasore Meadows. a large ranch in the Sierra National Forest, on Saturday night, the department tweeted. The Sacramento Bee reported that agencies were coordinating an aircraft rescue for crews to come and safely evacuate them. Tune said the campers were told to shelter in place until fire crews, aided by water-dropping aircraft, could gain access to the site. Tune said he didn't know how close the fire was burning to the campsite. "All our resources are working to make that escape route nice and safe for them," he said. The lake 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Fresno is surrounded by thick pine forests and is a popular destination for...

There is a man that is calling area residents telling them they have a warrant for not showing up for Federal Court duty, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.  

There is a man that is calling area residents telling them they have a warrant for not showing up for Federal Court duty, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.  

Friday, Sept. 4, officers with the Vidor Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a Black 2002 GMC Yukon in the 2300 Block of North Main just after midnight.

Friday, Sept. 4, officers with the Vidor Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a Black 2002 GMC Yukon in the 2300 Block of North Main just after midnight.