HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-01-20, Page 1Sports Leisure News
Brussels, Blyth Novices,
PeeWees face off in recent
hockey action
See page 8
Sled dogs
happiest on Ofc -
the run
See page 9
Blaze starts in fireplace
of McKillop Twp. home
It was a scary morning for a
McKillop family last Thursday as
fire broke out in their home around
6 a.m.
According to Blyth Fire Chief
Paul Josling, an improperly
installed fireplace caused the blaze
at the RR1, Walton home of the
Mike DeJong family.
Josling said the fire started in the
wood limber under the fireplace
then burned across and up the
walls. "We had to open the walls
through the house and cut holes in
the floor," said Josling. The esti
mate of damage, which included
smoke and water damage was
$10,000-515,000.
Firefighters were also battling the
chilling cold. "It was -23°," said
Josling. "The hose lines were freez
ing before we could get the water
to the end." Il look three tries
before they got a line with waler
coming from it.
On Friday al 9 a.m., the firefight
ers responded to a carbon monox
ide call at the home of Phil Black,
RR3, Blyth.
Josling said the alarm activated al
60 parts per million, which means
"there was a lot of carbon monox
ide in the house."
It was caused by ashes from a
wood furnace which had been put
into a steel tub and left in a base
ment.
"If you clean ashes from a fire
place or furnace gel them outside,"
Josling reminds.
Stolen snowmobile
burning in Morris
On Jan. 16 at approximately 4
a.m. a citizen contacted the Huron
OPP detachment about a
snowmobile burning on Cone. 2 of
Morris Twp. near Wingham.
The witness advised the officers
that at 3:15 a.m. he was on his way
into Wingham when he came
across the snowmobile sitting on
the side of the road with the hood
up and no one around. He was
returning home one-half hour later
to find that the snowmobile was
completely engulfed in flames and
called the Wingham Fire
Department who came and
extinguished the fire.
The next day the snowmobile
was reported stolen from the
owner's residence in Listowel.
Stolen and totally destroyed in the
fire was a 1991 Polaris Indy 650
black tn colour.
Anyone with any information on
this case is asked to contact the
Huron OPP or call Crime Stoppers.
January weather
a record breaker
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
It should not come as a surprise to anyone, but this January's weaLher has
broken some records.
According to local weather watcher Boyd Taylor, Jan. 14's temperature of
-27°C is the coldest to dale for this lime. The wind chill factor that day
brought the number to -40°C.
Snowfall has totalled 80 inches or 202 cm as of Jan. 17.
The closest worst winter for snowfall to this was January 1994, said
Taylor, when snowfall for the entire month totalled 75.5 inches or 188.5 cm
locally.
Also, in pulling together his statistics, Taylor noticed something "kind of
odd". For the last six years, rainfall in January has been in excess of one
inch.
Also, the 18 months prior to January showed above average temperatures.
Though precipitation seems to be heavy, Taylor points out that it is badly
needed for the soil moisture in rural Ontario as the streams and ditches never
filled last summer. However, he adds, "we need what we've had this January
about four or five more limes."
This area did miss the snowstorm that hit Toronto last week, where
Mother Nature dumped 120 cm of while sluff. "When Toronto gels this they
try to cope. In rural Ontario we just move forward."
For the future, Taylor predicts a winter of change. "There is going to be
variable weather, with a couple more cold blasts, then rain, and more snow."
"But, then again, it is winter."
Dave Wood, new
pastor at Huron
Chapel
See page 13
Citizen
Vol. 15 No. 3
The North Huron
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999 70c + 5c gst750
Lightening workload
With the more seasonable temperatures over the past few days, municipal workers have
had a chance to get ahead of the snow removal process. Murray Siertsema of Blyth took
advantage of the almost balmy weather Monday to do a little sidewalk salting.
Long hours clear villages
Village employees were on the
job so residents could be.
Constant snowfall and strong
wind which seemed to be never-
ending in recent weeks, had people
struggling to get to work and school
boards cancelling bus routes.
In spite of all the bad weather, vil
lage employees and contractors
continued their vigil to keep the
main streets cleaned and sidewalks
passable.
Numerous residents in both
Brussels and Blyth have expressed
their appreciation for the hard work
through letters to the editor and per
sonal comments.
Blyth is the best kept village
around, said one resident while
another from Brussels expressed
gratitude for the clear sidewalks
downtown and the removal of
snowbanks so no climbing was
required.
"The guys were often up at two or
three in the morning," says Brussels
Clerk-Treasurer Donna White.
"They put in a lot of extra hours."
Blyth employees were up early as
well, getting to work no later than
5 a.m. many mornings.
While most residents were still
sleeping, village work crews and
private operators were on the roads,
cleaning the main throughways and
transporting the piles of snow to
out-of-the-way locations such as
behind the arena or onto fairgrounds.
Once the drive was made easier,
the men set to work clearing fire
hydrants and cutting the banks at
the comers for improved visibility.
Now that the weather seems to be
offering a break, White says the
next task will be to get excess snow
off rooftops and clear catch basins.
"The guys have been taking it all
in stride," she says. "They are just
dealing with it. I guess we are han
dling it better than Toronto."
Brussels hires a contractor to
clear the streets with a grader while
village employees clean sidewalks
and remove banks. All the work is
completed .with a front-end loader
and blower attached to one tractor
and the village truck. In Blyth, the
men use a small tractor and blower
for the sidwalks, a large tractor with
a blower for the street edges and
comers and a plow for the roads.
Rural residents have also seen
road graders on the concessions at
least an hour prior to bus times, to
provide safe transportation for the
children.