Lawrence County 9-1-1

10/09/2026

✅ UPDATE - K9 FOUND - Thank you to everyone who helped bring her home! ❤️

🚨 MISSING K9 – IRONTON 🚨

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is asking for your help locating K9 El, a female bloodhound who got loose this morning (Friday, Oct. 9).

📍 El escaped through a fence in the 2400 block of South 4th Street in Ironton around 6:30 a.m.
📍 She was last seen running south on Vine Street between the 400 and 500 blocks.

Description: Female bloodhound wearing a green collar marked "SHERIFF."

Bloodhounds follow their noses and can cover a lot of ground, so please check your yards, garages, outbuildings, and wooded areas, especially in South Ironton.

If you see El, please don't chase her. Note the location and direction she's heading, and call the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office right away at
📞 740-532-3525.

Please SHARE to help bring El home to her handler! 🐾

09/13/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2026

Residents of the Applewood Apartments and people in the surrounding area may notice additional public safety personnel and equipment at the complex this evening. We want everyone to hear directly from us what is taking place and why.

On Sunday, September 6, the Rome Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at the Applewood Apartments. During the initial response, an explosion occurred inside an attached maintenance garage and two of our firefighters were injured.

One firefighter is still receiving advanced care at Cabell Huntington Hospital’s Burn Unit / ICU and the other firefighter is recovering at home. Both firefighters have a long road to recovery. The support this community has shown to them and their families over the past week has meant more than we can say.

As part of their ongoing treatment, the burn center caring for our firefighters has asked us to determine exactly what chemicals they were exposed to at the time of the explosion. That answer directly affects how their injuries are treated and how well they heal. Testing of this kind requires specialized equipment that is not available locally, and private laboratories could not deliver results in a time frame that would help our firefighters.

The Ohio National Guard agreed to assist. Their team arrived with a mobile laboratory and has been analyzing the protective gear our firefighters were wearing. This evening, a survey crew from that team will collect samples from the scene for further analysis.
Residents will see these crews working in protective suits and respiratory equipment.

We want to be clear about what that means. This equipment is part of their standard safety protocol any time they collect samples, and it also keeps outside contaminants off the samples so the results are accurate and usable by the doctors treating our firefighters.

There is no known threat to residents of the complex or to anyone in the surrounding area. No evacuation or action of any kind is needed. We simply ask that residents give the crews room to work and avoid the immediate area around the maintenance garage while sampling is underway. The work is expected to be completed this evening.

Everything being done here is out of an abundance of caution and out of concern for the health of two of our own who were hurt serving this community.

We want to thank the agencies who have stood with us since the day of this incident and who continue to assist today:

● Ohio National Guard
● Proctorville Volunteer Fire Department
● Lawrence County EMS
● Lawrence County Sheriff's Office
● Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency

We owe a particular thank you to the Ohio National Guard. When we ran out of options, they answered the call and brought capabilities that very few teams in this country have. Their willingness to deploy on short notice may make a real difference in how our firefighters recover.

We will share additional information as it becomes available.

08/11/2026

⚠️ TORNADO WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 12:30 PM — TAKE SHELTER NOW ⚠️

NWS has issued a Tornado Warning that includes our response area until 12:30 PM.

Get to the lowest floor, an interior room, away from windows. Cover your head and neck. If you’re in a mobile home or vehicle, move to a sturdy structure right now — do not try to outrun it.

If you have an emergency, call 911.

Check on your neighbors once it’s safe. After the storm, watch for downed power lines — treat every line as energized and report them to 911.

Stay safe!

07/26/2026

07/21/2026

⚠️ WEATHER ALERT | Be Prepared Today ⚠️

The National Weather Service is forecasting multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.

Hazards may include:
🌩️ Damaging wind gusts
🌳 Downed trees
⚡ Downed power lines
🧊 Large hail
🌪️ Isolated tornadoes
🌧️ Heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding

Please remember:
• Stay weather aware and have multiple ways to receive warnings.
• Never drive through flooded roadways. Turn Around, Don't Drown.
• If you encounter a downed power line, assume it is energized. Stay away, keep others away, and report it to 911 if it poses an immediate hazard.
• If travel isn't necessary during the strongest storms, consider staying off the roads.

Lawrence County 911 will be monitoring conditions throughout the event. Additional team members are being staffed. If you experience a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Stay safe, stay informed, and check on family, friends, and neighbors as storms move through.

07/16/2026

07/03/2026

🎆 Fireworks are part of the holiday... but let's keep 911 available for real emergencies. 🎇

We love seeing everyone celebrate Independence Day, and we hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Before reaching for the phone, here's a quick reminder:

🚨 CALL 911 IF:
• Someone is injured or burned.
• A fire has started or is spreading.
• Fireworks are being used in a way that creates an immediate danger to people or property.
• There is any life-threatening emergency.

📞 USE A NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER IF:
• You have a general noise complaint.
• You want to report fireworks that are not creating an immediate emergency.
• You need to speak with law enforcement about a non-urgent issue.

Lawrence County 911 Non-Emergency Numbers:
🚒🚑 740-533-0911 (Fire & EMS)
👮 740-532-3525 (Law Enforcement)

🎇 Fireworks Safety Tips:
✅ Keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby.
✅ Never allow children to handle fireworks.
✅ Never relight a "dud" firework.
✅ Keep a safe distance from spectators, homes, vehicles, and dry grass.
✅ Leave the big shows to the professionals whenever possible.

Our dispatchers, deputies, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and first responders will be working throughout the holiday weekend to keep Lawrence County safe. By calling the right number for the right situation, you help ensure 911 lines remain open for those who truly need immediate assistance.

Have a safe, happy, and memorable Fourth of July weekend! 🎆🎉

07/03/2026

Today marks 30 years since Lawrence County 911 first went online. Three decades of answering our community's hardest moments.

We can't mark this anniversary without remembering how our first day began. On July 3, 1996, just hours after the new center opened, one of the first calls we ever received came from the fireworks store fire in Scottown. Nine lives were lost and eleven people were injured that day. It's a tragedy this community has never forgotten, and one that reshaped fireworks safety across Ohio.

We remember Ryan Aldridge, Misti Cron, Shelbi Cron, Candy Lee, Matt Sansom, Floyd Tolliver, Ona Tolliver, Jason Wallace, and Kathlene Wilks. Their memorial reads, "Taken From Our Lives... Not From Our Hearts."

Thirty years on, every dispatcher who puts on the headset carries that responsibility. To the families who still grieve and the responders who answered the call, we honor you. And as this holiday weekend arrives, please celebrate safely.

07/02/2026

We got lucky. This is a truck mounted crash attenuator. It was in a work zone on US 52 in Lawrence County as crews were making pavement repairs when a driver hit it. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the driver was on his phone, dropped it, and was trying to retrieve it at the time of impact. The good news is everyone walked away. The bad news is that we have to buy a new piece of equipment. (Yes, we will seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.) This is the 62nd time our crews have been hit this year. Move over. Slow down. Pay attention. These are 100% preventable crashes. Learn more about Ohio's move over law at moveover.ohio.gov.

06/25/2026