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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-08-18, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016. PAGE 7. Burn ban repealed after heavy rains hit Huron Playing with fire A homeowner in Londesborough allegedly had a bonfire burning on his property in Londesborough on Aug. 11 during the recently repealed Huron County -wide burn ban. As a result, the homeowner may be responsible for the cost of the fire call which can be as much as $450 per hour per truck for the two trucks that responded. (Dennyscottphoto) By Denny Scott The Citizen While the Huron County -wide burn ban has now been lifted, some people will still be facing expensive fines and/or charges as a result of it. Throughout the ban, which lasted several weeks, several calls across the county brought firefighters out to burns that didn't need to happen, according to fire officials, which could result in steep bills and significant fines for those responsible for the fires. Prior to the rain over the weekend, fire officials explained the lack of recent rain caused extremely dry conditions which could lead to fires spreading easily in both urban and rural areas. Morris-Turnberry and North Huron Fire Prevention Officer James Marshall stated that the short, sporadic rainfalls that occurred in certain areas throughout the county were insufficient to counter the dryness that led to the burn ban. "There have been many large scale burns occurring around the area," he said. "Our hope is to prevent these large-scale responses so that we have our firefighting resources available should a true emergency occur." Fire Department of North Huron Deputy -Fire Chief Matt Townsend expressed concern over several unnecessary calls responded to by local departments. "Some individuals had a hard time getting this simple message," he said. "A burn ban means no burning in Huron County." Those found contravening the burn ban, depending on location, could face fines. Regardless of location, individuals can be found responsible for the burns which could result in them footing the bill for the response of their local fire department. Townsend explained that fines can be as high as $200 per infraction, but the cost recovery is what will result in significant expenditures. Each truck costs $450 per hour. "This could have ramped up very quickly if you have a campfire or burn barrel on fire and you ignite a corn or stubble field," Marshall said. "A large scale field or farm fire may take nine trucks and 12 or more hours, and when you do the math it just makes sense not to burn. "However, if someone did decide they want to burn, it should be the individual covering all costs and not the responsibility of fellow ratepayers and neighbours." The ban was lifted Monday morning after many parts of the county saw extreme rainfalls most of the day on Saturday. For more information on any fire - related issue, including future burn bans, and information about local fire departments, contact your municipality. Wingham soccer teams mark succesful seasons Quite a season The Wingham U11 Boys soccer team is proud to show it is number one, having finished the season with eight wins and one loss and winning the 'A' championship in the area with a 2-1 win over St. Columban on Aug. 6. Back row, from left: Coach Elias Valdez, Tito Valdez, Evan DeJong, Cody deBoer, Benro Barlow, Brandon Kuepfer, Jon Rapson, Toby McInnes, Will McAuliffe, Ethan Gangl and Coach Fred Valdez. Middle row, from left: Phil Holtzhauer, Alex Becker, Jaxon Breckenbridge, Carson Shaw, Malaikum John, Ryan Morrison, Roman Valdez and Emmitt Atton. Front row, from left: Tyler Becker and Cameron VanderWal. (Photo submitted) U18 Wingham Boys 2 Soccer The Wingham 2 U18 Boys team had an incredible 2016 season including winning the league championship. In the regular season, they finished fifth of the six teams. In the playoffs, they won against Grand Bend (third place) and Wingham #1 (first place) to send them to the semi-finals against St Columban, whom they beat 4-1 to earn a berth in the finals. On Saturday, Aug. 13, the morning started out with clouds, then spit, then the downpour. There was no lightning, so the Wingham #2 and Clinton teams played on. Wingham #2 won 4-2 to take the league championship. This was an entire group effort as some of these team members hadn't played together before and needed to overcome the challenge of learning each other's habits and to play as a team. The Wingham #2 team, coached by Mike Cronin and Jacquie Waechter, consists of Kyle Cronin, Tyler Cronin, Justin Ford, Ryan Gangl, Garhett Green, Joseph Hill, Kyle McCourt, Brad McGlynn, Tyler Montgomery, Connor Nivvins, Eddy Peel, Ben Pot, Craig Raynard, Sheldon Rooney, Jack Reidy, Eric VanNes, Derrick Waechter and Justin Wall. U13 Wingham Girls Soccer The U13 team was made up of U1 1 and U13 players and struggled to win a game all season. During the playoffs, the team won two games and won the B side Championship in a 3-1 win over Clinton. This was a great win for the girls and showed considerable growth as individual players. U13 Wingham Boys Soccer The U13 Wingham Boys soccer team had a great soccer season this year. This team consisted of boys from around the Wingham area including many boys that had not played soccer together before. They came together as a team and grew over the season, showing great sportsmanship and teamwork during each game. During the regular season, the team had four wins, one tie and five losses putting them in Pool B for the round robin games. The team won both games during the round robin taking them to the bronze medal game against Lucknow. This was an exciting and stressful game. The team was down 3-0 until the last half of the game where they scored three goals to tie the game. The game ended in a tie sending it to overtime. During overtime, the score remained the same, so the teams went to a shootout. In the shootout, Wingham's goalie saved two of Lucknow's shots and all of Wingham's boys scored their goals, giving them the win and the bronze medal. Congratulations to all of the boys on their achievements this season. Way to go, U13! Ull Wingham Boys Soccer The Ul 1 boys had a great season with eight wins and one loss throughout the season. The team went on to win the A side championship on Saturday, Aug. 6 with a 2-1 win over St. Columban. Purses Bainton's Old Mill Downtown Blyth 519-523-4740 ATTENTION EAST WAWANOSH RESIDENTS The upcoming 150th Anniversary of the East Wawanosh History Book, `A Snippet in Time' is looking for your submissions The deadline of September 1, 2016 is fast approaching! We would like each household to be represented in the book. Share a favourite photograph or story of your family, hobby, business or what you enjoy about living in the township. Email your submission to ewsnippet@gmail.com Photography services are available and so is help with telling your story. Make sure you are included. For more information or assistance contact Melanie Pletch 519-357-4227, Linda Logan 519-357-1602 or Sylvia Nonkes 519-357-4851.