KY gel prompts office evacuation and other news from areas around Chattanooga

KY gel prompts office evacuation

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - U.S. Postal Service officials said the suspicious substance that prompted the evacuation of a Northeast Alabama post office was KY Intense Arousal gel.

Postal service officials said the gel leaked from a package and had spread to between 12 and 15 others Thursday morning. Officials said two post office workers were hospitalized as a precaution after they came into contact with the gel and were not injured.

Officials said the gel is made with nonhazardous chemicals intended to intensify sensation.

USPS Postal Inspector Tony Robinson said the packages were addressed to someone in the entertainment industry, and the person's name has not been released.


Teen rescued after 100-foot fall

GADSDEN, Ala. - Authorities said a teenager has been rescued after surviving a 100-foot fall off a rock ledge in Northeast Alabama.

The Etowah County Sheriff's Office said the youth was alert and talking after the rescue early Thursday, and his injuries don't appear to be life-threatening.

The accident occurred about 8 p.m. Wednesday in western Etowah County. Authorities said a 14-year-old boy was walking with a group in woods near a rock ledge when he slipped down a steep bank.

Sheriff Todd Entrekin said area residents aided rescuers in reaching the youth after midnight. He was airlifted to the top of the ledge and taken to a hospital.


Sinkhole forms after main breaks

WOODSTOCK, Ga. - A large sinkhole caused by a water main break swallowed part of a Cherokee County street and blocked traffic.

Authorities said the water main break was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday. As deputies worked to close the road, the asphalt sank and the road collapsed at Holly Springs Road and East Cherokee Drive.

The Cherokee County Water and Sewage Authority shut off water for a handful of nearby houses. Spokesman Dwight Turner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution a 20-foot section of PVC pipe had split, causing water to seep out under the road.


Tree fall injures 3 in Cades Cove

GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Three visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were hurt when a tree fell during inclement weather.

Park officials said rangers were called around 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday and told people touring Cades Cove had been injured. Rangers found a 41-year-old woman had been knocked unconscious by the falling tree and her 1-year-old daughter and 7-year-old nephew had been injured.

They were taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville. No names were immediately released.

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