Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Fire ruled accidental.

The Monday afternoon house fire at 26 Banning Street is being treated as accidental.  Fire officials say it appears an electrical problem was the cause of the blaze.  No one was injured in the fire which caused extensive damage to the one and a half story home.

Video shows reality of city life

Thunder Bay Police are pumped about an educational video being shown to First Nations students in the north.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says it shows students moving to Thunder Bay the realities of adjusting to city life.  Adams says the video is being received well in the communities it's been shown.

NAN's Waboose calls for Fed support

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is being called on to provide a support system to aboriginal teens attending school in Thunder Bay. Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose says more needs to be done to help accommodate the teens living in a new city.  Waboose spoke about the issue at NAN's annual education awareness week.

Local man dies in Pennsylvania

A helicopter crash 3 weeks ago in Pennsylvania has resulted in the death of a Thunder Bay man.  Reports say that 33 year old Greg Jacobsen died of respiratory failure following the injuries he received in the accident.  He was part of a film crew working on a reality TV show.

Train accident claims victim

A  Fort Frances area man has been identified as the victim of a collision involving a vehicle and a train Friday night. 92-year-old Donald Robert Bolen,  of Morley Township, was killed in the accident that occurred at a CN Rail crossing on Highway 617 in Stratton. Both OPP and CN Rail Police have determined the red lights at the crossing were flashing and operating property at the time.

Multi-plex to be discussed next week

A report on how the City will run a proposed multi-plex will be released Wednesday.  The report compares different business models for the proposed multi-plex and shows the financial impact on the City.  City Manager Tim Commisso held a press conference on the Multi-Plex on Tuesday at the Fort William Gardens. Two public information sessions are taking place next week at the DaVinci Centre and the Italian Cultural Centre.

Expressway blasting alert

The roadwork on the Thunder Bay Expressway will come with some blasting this week.  The Ministry of Transportation says there will be blasting taking place starting Wednesday morning and will last about 3 weeks.

Fire in Wabakimi Provincial Park

A large forest fire is burning in Wabakimi Provincial Park, about 38-kilometres east of Savant Lake. The fire is burning near fly-in-lodges and a railroad and at one point forced the evacuation of 11-residents from a subdivision. The Ministry of Natural Resources says the fire had grown to over 14-hundred hectares in size but notes thanks to the combined efforts of firefighters and air attack, no property was lost.  Evacuees have returned to their residence and operations on the CN main line have resumed. There are 21-fire crews and 5-helicopters still committed to the blaze. The cause is not known.

MNR send additional equipment to Alberta

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending more equipment to Alberta.  100-pumping units, 3-thousand lengths of hose and portable water tanks are scheduled to leave Thunder Bay.  110-personnel remain in the fire-ravaged Western Province.

Fire Fighters respond to house fire

A Banning Street family wasn't in their house when it caught fire over the long weekend.  Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control and says the basement suffered heavy smoke damage.  The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.