It was an event-filled weekend for law enforcement and emergency personnel across the county, particularly from Saturday into Sunday. Around 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, a vehicle fire broke out on North Gateway near First Financial Bank. The Rockwood Fire Department responded quickly and extinguished the blaze, with no injuries reported.

On Friday evening just after 6:00 p.m., a multi-vehicle crash occurred westbound on I-40 near the 351 mile marker, blocking one lane for about an hour and a half. Traffic was heavily diverted through Kingston and back to midtown to get around the wreckage. An ambulance was dispatched, but fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.

Several other accidents occurred on the interstate over the weekend, including one late Saturday after 9:30 p.m. when a vehicle ran off I-40 eastbound near the 345 mile marker after reportedly being forced off the road by a big rig. The vehicle went over an embankment, trapping two people inside. Roane County Sheriff’s deputies, rescue squad members, and first responders worked together to free them from the wreckage.

On Wednesday evening, first responders and an ambulance were dispatched to Lawson Mill Road east of Kingston, where a woman went into labor inside a vehicle. She ultimately gave birth to her baby in a driveway at the scene.

Late Saturday night, Rockwood police pursued a vehicle into Harriman along Highway 27. The chase ended with assistance from the Harriman Police Department. An ambulance was called to evaluate the driver, who was allegedly intoxicated.