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Fire at mill destroys 13 R.I. homes

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - A raging, wind-whipped fire that began in an abandoned textile mill destroyed 13 homes and ignited buildings over 10 blocks Friday.

Winds up to 45 mph had hampered firefighters' efforts to control the fire, which was brought under control more than four hours after it started.

Eleven people were being evaluated for injuries, including a firefighter. Three were admitted to a nearby hospital, but their conditions were not available.

The fire started in the Greenhalgh Mills complex and spread at least five blocks east and five blocks south, setting fire to homes along the way while sparing others.

WILMINGTON, Del. - At least 4,800 people were evacuated from three downtown buildings Friday after an office worker noticed a crack in the wall.

A subsequent inspection found loose bolts attached to facade panels on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors of the 17-story Bank One building and small cracks in drywall butting up to the exterior panels.

"From a structural standpoint, nothing failed," said Jeff Starkey, the city commissioner of licensing and inspections.

Starkey said the building is designed to allow some movement of the facade. High winds buffeted the city Thursday and Friday.

"There was a general sense of panic in the beginning, but it worked itself out," said Bank One employee Dan Henry.

Employees were allowed back inside about five hours later.

WASHINGTON - One of the nation's leading air gunmakers settled a 2-year-old lawsuit with the government Friday involving allegations that 7.5-million high-velocity Daisy BB guns were defective.

Daisy Manufacturing Co. of Rogers, Ark., agreed to launch a $1.5-million safety campaign as part of the settlement. The company will put more warning labels on the air guns that tell users to treat the guns as if they're loaded.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 2-1 to approve the deal.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Secretary of State Kevin Shelley made it official Friday: Action movie hero Arnold Schwarzenegger won the Oct. 7 recall election and can take the oath of office for his new role as governor of California.

The secretary said 15.4-million Californians registered and more than 61 percent cast ballots - 1.6-million more than in the November 2002 election of Gov. Gray Davis. He called the recall vote the highest turnout since the gubernatorial election of 1982, when George Deukmejian was elected.

The secretary said the governor-elect will be sworn in Monday.

The final statement of the vote showed the recall passed with 4,976,193 votes, or 55.4 percent of ballots cast. Schwarzenegger won 4,206,217 votes, or 48.6 percent. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante attracted 2,724,852, or 31.5 percent, to lead the replacement candidates.

NO VERDICT YET IN SNIPER CASE: Jurors went home Friday without deciding the fate of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad after deliberating four hours. They will resume Monday morning.