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 Sometimes, as I watched the hilarious high-jinks on the stage of Upper Canada Playhouse during the debut of its new production, No Sex Please, We’re British, I kept having visions of director Richard Bauer, in rehearsals. 

He was invariably dressed as a ringmaster. 

This is not a play where one or two events, even three or four, take place simultaneously. No, it is a regular three-ring circus of a play with outrageous lines and actions, and a cast that springs into action in Act I and never slows for breath. 

Judging by the explosions of laughter from the audience, that is just fine with them.

No Sex Please, We’re British, continues a Playhouse tradition of presenting outstanding farces as part of the summer season. This classic play by writers Anthony Marriott and Alistair Foot, has been performed in over 52 countries to date. 

With a cast of 10, most of whom may actually be dashing about the stage at any one time, Bauer is working with very talented, not to say, agile and energetic actors. 

The plot of No Sex Please is a clever mishmash of the morals and complications of life in the 1960s. London might have been swinging in that decade, but the household of newly weds, Peter and Frances Hunter, is definitely not supposed to be. Unfortunately, Frances’ (Katie Lawson) innocent attempts to start a home business by replying to a newspaper ad, go sadly awry. Instead of family glassware, in short order, Swedish post cards (not of the Alps!), plain brown wrapper covered books and 8 mm films (with titles like Dick Turpin Rides Again…and Again and Again) arrive at the Hunter flat non-stop.

Peter (Derek Moran) a junior in his conservative bank, simply cannot afford a pornography scandal. Laws being what they were in London in the 1960s, he simply must get the stuff out of his home and far, far away. 

Or, as plodding Superintendent Paul, (Zack Counsil) investigating a pornography ring  rumoured to be in the neighbourhood, puts it, “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That’s why we do such a thorough investigation.”

Frances: So you can prove they’re innocent?

Superintendant Paul: No. So we can prove them guilty.

With Eleanor, Paul’s pretentious mother (Linda Goranson) arriving for an extended stay, her new beau, the snobbish banker, Leslie Bromhead (Walter Learning) constantly underfoot, and stuffy bank examiner, Mr. Needham (Shaun Clarke)  unexpectedly bunking in the spare room, the Hunters can barely keep track of the crises they face.

Enter Mr. Runnicles, Peter’s friend from the bank.

Brian Young is splendidly funny as Runnicles.

 Never has a man triggered more wrong in his muddled, desperately sincere efforts to do right, than Mr. Runnicles. All he came to the Hunter flat to do was deliver a belated wedding gift, a (rather garish) painting of Vegetables of Provence (“The French have very big cucumbers…”).  

Immediately, unintentionally, Runnicles finds himself the notorious Phantom Pornographer, sought by the police. Charged with getting rid of the erotica by a frantic Peter, Runnicles hilariously discovers that it appears to be stubbornly indestructible. Neither toilets, garbage disposals, St. Mark’s Rummage sale, nor the mighty Thames itself, appear capable of eliminating these Swedish imports.

Then  Susan and Barbara, two very ‘avant garde’ ladies (Katie Leamen and Jackie English), who may just possibly be Swedish (Oh, dear!) arrive, determined to help “smooth things over.” 

Full of extraordinary sight gags, triple entendres, lovable if mad characters, and a laugh about every 60 seconds, No Sex Please, We’re British is delightful summer fair.

As Mr. Runnicles hopefully puts it, “You have to keep cool in a crisis. Think it through.”

No one does.

Isn’t that half the fun of farce?

For tickets to No Sex Please, We’re British, contact Upper Canada Playhouse at 613-543-3713 or go on line at uppercanadaplayhouse.com. The play runs until August 25.

[…]

 

 It was a fight right to the very finish, but in the end, experience seemed to be the deciding factor as Team Magee captured the Tubie title, King of the River, for the second year in a row, Sunday, August 4.

With a winning time of 5:15, the veteran Magee Team defeated the Katherine Lee team by mere seconds. Lee’s young team came ashore at the Morrisburg beach in a time of 5:35

The other contenders vying for the trophy, title and bragging rights in the final race appeared, like the Lee team, to be largely made up of a new generation of young participants. Consequently, the future of the Tubie Races is looking good. 

Team Barclay/Veinotte pulled ashore in 5:51, the Morrell Sisters team made it in 6:00 and the South Nation Conservation Authority team hit the beach in 6:29.

“I had a great crew,” said captain Gary Magee,  now twice crowned King of the River. Members of his strong, championship team were Philip Pietersma, Sheri Halpenny, Jaime Notman, Susie Wye and Austin Wilcox. “We built the best craft, low in the water, and I had six incredibly fit people paddling.”

Asked the secret of his racing success, Magee claims a lot has to do with  the design of his unique rudder. “‘Black Beauty’ rides low in the water, so the paddlers can dig in. Everyone is able to paddle and steer with the special rudder on our tubie.”

Will Team Magee be back to race next year?

“Absolutely,” said Gary Magee. “We plan to make it three in a row!”

This year’s race, like last year’s, had two qualifying heats, which left the Morrisburg dock at noon and 12:45 respectively. The top two teams from each heat, and the next best time, all took part in the final race at about 1:30 p.m. While they did not make the finals, the Jon Domanko team, the Greg Millard team and the Canadian Tire team helped make the qualifying heats fast and exciting. 

The winning team took home a prize of $400 presented by the Morrisburg & District Lions club, who organized the Tubie weekend under the leadership of Mike Domanko, Matt McCooeye and their team of volunteers. Second place winners received $250, 3rd got $150, with 4th and 5th place finishers taking home $50 per team.

With the weather holding, virtually all weekend (one or two sudden swift downpours on Sunday did not discourage any fans), the Tubie weekend was a bit hit. 

Events kicked off on Saturday, August 3, with the great Tubie parade. The theme of this year’s Tubie weekend was ‘Keep calm and paddle on’. Float designers interpreted that in a number of very entertaining ways.

First prize winner ($400) was  Keep calm and drive on, or Tubie Hot Wheels, the Morrell Sisters’ float. Rednecks everywhere would have been proud of the Barclay/Veinotte Duck Dynasty float which came in second, and was awarded $250. In third spot, with the theme Keep calm – no run! Zombies everywhere! was the float designed by Katherine Lee’s family and friends.

Canadian Tire entered a Gilligan’s Island float where the riders really did have an uncanny resemblance to the old television sitcom castaways.

The Lions Club sponsored float, Keep calm, get your Super on, featured a lot of mini Marvel super heroes, and won $50 which was donated back to the Tubies. 

The Keep calm and Waldo on float carried a collection of identical Waldos of all ages, who somehow found their way through the wide world to Morrisburg. And the Millard team (also $50 winners), brought back fond memories of past great tubie themes with their Tubies Then and Now ‘picture frames.’

Estimates suggest close to 1,000 people came out to watch the 2013 parade, while the shoreline along the pier and the Morrisburg beach were crowded with Tubie fans and supporters on race day. The Sunday morning Lions Great Duck Race also brought lots of hopefuls to the beach to see dog volunteers retrieve winning ducks.

Morrisburg & District Lions Club organizers, who did an outstanding job, thanked sponsors and the community for their support of the 2013 Tubies.

[…]

The team rhetoric is building as Tubie Race weekend approaches.

All the festivities including the Friday night’s teen dance, Saturday’s parade and dance and Sunday’s races are set for this weekend.

Organizers, the Morrisburg and District Lions Club, who are presenting the 43rd edition of the festivities, made a rule change to allow some younger paddlers to establish a new generation to ensure that the long-running tradition continues. 

They are thrilled to see that some new, and some younger teams are planning to ‘paddle on’ this weekend, pitting their skills against some wily veterans.

“I’m hoping to defend my title as King of the River,” said Gary McGee, who captained last year’s winning team. “But, I won’t be too upset if someone new is crowned, as this tiara I’ve been wearing all year is getting quite heavy.”

“As always, I have some new ideas for improving my craft this year, but to be honest, I have no idea if they will work,” said McGee. “That’s the beauty of the Tubie race, right? You just never know what’s going to happen.”

Childhood friends, turned Tubie rivals, Gary McGee and Jon Domanko, battled it out last year for the title which came down to a photo finish.

Despite the strong finish of Domanko last year, McGee, says they will be in the mix, but sees the team of Katherine Lee as a favourite, “If the team can stay upright.”

Lee captained a race winning tubie craft last year, but it capsized taking the team out of contention. 

Robert Farlinger, who designed, built and raced to victory that craft, disagreed that the team’s inexperience was its downfall. 

“I think its more a case that the fury of the St. Lawrence river can sometimes undermine even the best engineered craft,” said Farlinger.

McGee never counts out the Barclay/Laurin craft. “They had a good craft last year, but Jeff (Barclay) is getting a bit old, so I’m not too worried,” said McGee. “Same for Greg Millard. He’s probably not a factor because he’s preoccupied with his upcoming wedding.”

McGee might be right about Barclay, as it was recently announced that they will not be entering the Tubies this year, but they do plan to exert some influence on a new and up and coming team.

“Sage (Barclay) will be putting a team in,” said Laura Barclay, team spokesperson. “We will take pride in prepping our future River Queens and Kings,” she added.

The Barclay/Veinotte team which will include Sage Barclay, Christyn Veinotte, Cole Veinotte, Marc Beckstead, Lindsay Boland, Morgan Schaillee, Danielle Quenneville, Wesley Farmer, Joey Lamarche and Jon Gilmer. “Keep calm, they were born to paddle on,” said Barclay.

While the Barclays will be watching Tubies from a different vantage point this year, they did hint at a return next year.

“We’ll help Sage get a taste for Tubies this year, before next year, when her parents come in and sweep it from underneath her,” challenged Barclay.

“Although we take a different seat this year, please not that our hearts and souls remain at the core of Tubie Weekend,” said Barclay.

“We will miss their creativity and enthusiasm, but are pleased to learn that Laura and Jeff (Barclay) are grooming the next generation of paddlers,” said Michael Domanko, one of the key organizers from the Morrisburg and District Lions Club.

“That, and the addition of the Junior B Lions team should provide some new, young blood for this weekend’s events.

Other teams expected to participate in this year’s event include Canadian Tire, Jen Wilson and the Morrell girls.

[…]

Before heading out to the Tubie races on Sunday, August 4, drop by the Morrisburg beach to watch one of the most unique duck race experiences around.

At 10 a.m. five dogs will take to the water, one at a time, to retrieve a duck from the pool of 1200 floating in the water, and return it to their owner.

The five ducks retrieved by the pooches will be the five prize winners of the Morrisburg and District Lions Club Duck Race.

One thousand dollars worth of prizes will be handed out, with top prize being $500 cash, second is $200 cash, third is $100 cash, fourth is a $100 Riley’s Valumart gift card, and fifth is a $100 Canadian Tire gift card.

This year the canine retrievers include Finnegan, Katie, Floyd, Cocoa and one dog yet to be determined.

Finnegan is a 3.5 year old black lab, who likes to dress up. 

He was a Tootsie Roll for Halloween.

He is the canine companion of Sunnie Cantin-Locke, Robin Cantin-Locke and Dominic Worthington.

Finnegan came to live with this family when he was one. “He loves attention and hands everyone his big paw for love,” said his owner. 

Katie, a two year old German Shepherd Alsatian, live with Leanne Casselman. Katie has service dog lineage, so she is definitely up to the task of helping out the Lions Club, because they too ‘serve’. “She’s a super all round dog! Intelligent loyal and great with kids,” said Casselman. 

Hopefully, Katie will be good with ducks too.

Floyd is a friendly nine year old Labradoodle, who is still a puppy at heart. 

“He is an all around good sport when called upon to render a service,” said his owners. Floyd comes from Montreal with Jean, Wendy, Nelson and Myles Landry but is here visiting his summer home, the Graham’s on Lakeshore Drive.

Floyd is obsessed with balls, but may give the ball a break for long enough to fetch a winning rubber duck from the St. Lawrence, Sunday.

Cocoa is described as a charming, flirtatious and stubborn six year old Shih-Tzu Cavalier Spaniel mix. He is a veteran of the duck races, returning to the task for the third time. “What he lacks in swimming speed is made up with his precise retrieving skills, some of the time,” said Juli Strader of Cocoa. “If you want to get his attention, all you have to do is say any of the following words: peanut butter, chicken, cheese, car ride or nap.”

Like all Morrisburg and District Lions Club fundraisers, the proceeds benefit the community. 

[…]

There’s a very good reason why No Sex Please, We’re British had a 17 year run, before packed houses, in London’s West End.

It’s simply, (and outrageously!) hilarious. 

Upper Canada Playhouse artistic director Donnie Bowes was certain this classic comedy by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott, would “cause the parking lot to overflow.” Judging by the exuberance of the 10 man cast, and the enthusiasm of director Richard Bauer, he is probably right. Tickets are already springing off the shelves at the box office.

No Sex Please, We’re British, debuts on the Playhouse stage on August 1, and runs until August 25. 

Richard Bauer, who is directing this show for the Playhouse, is no stranger to theatre audiences. He has appeared in several productions as an actor, and in more recent years, has directed a number of comedies, including last season’s hit, Wife Begins At Forty.

“No Sex is a wonderful farce,” Bauer said, at the recent press conference. “I first did it as an actor 25 years ago, and now I’ve graduated to directing it. It’s typical of many farces. The comedy develops out of a moment when ordinary life goes terribly wrong, and the characters simply get caught up.”

The comedy is firmly set in the 1960s, the era for which it was written, and focuses on Peter and Frances Hunter, newly married, and living over the bank where Peter works. She is hoping to start a comfortable little mail order business from their living room. Something to do with nice, family glass ware. 

“But instead of glass,” Bauer laughed, “erotica starts arriving at their flat by the boxload.”

The comedy escalates as the young couple (newly wed husband and wife in real life, Katie Lawson and Derek Moran) attempt to cope, secretly, with an apparently ceaseless flood of erotic material. Ultimately the situation takes a u-turn into hilarious madness. In short order, a bank examiner and bank supervisor, inquisitive, if plodding, police officers, some unexpected ‘ladies’ whose intentions are unclear, a well-meaning bank clerk friend and, most fearsome of all, Peter’s mother-in-law, Eleanor (played by Linda Goranson, who likens her character to Keeping Up Appearances’ Hyacinth Bucket) land in the Hunter home.

“There’s lot of action in this farce, continuous action,” laughed Bauer. “I would say there is just as much comedy back stage at times with this play too. Melissa, Justine and Jocelyn (crew members) are coping with the timing, the revolving props and shoving actors out on stage on cue.”

“It’s timing, timing, timing in a farce,” said newcomer to UCP, Jackie English, who plays one of the mysterious ladies. “And in this play there are so many surprises. The stakes just keep going up.”

“There’s not just one big revelation in this show,” Derek Moran added. “There’s a hundred big reveals.”

Because farce demands stamina and agility from the cast, blocking has to be thoroughly worked out. Actor Katie Leamen admitted that she’d already gone flying when she rounded the sofa a little too quickly (“In Go Go Boots, yet!”) in rehearsal. But, “this is a wonderful cast,” said Bauer, “and we’ll make sure everyone can be seen, that no one crashes into anything and that an actor can actually make it from one side of the set to the other in 30 seconds flat.”

Brian Young, well known to local theatre goers, said “It’s true that farce makes big demands, but it also gives actors a lot of energy. It’s fun.”

Veteran actor Walter Learning is returning for his ninth production at the Playhouse. “I may soon get it right,” he laughed, then added that there is “lots of energy here, and a great environment. Audiences are wonderful.”

Katie Lawson, also a returnee to the Playhouse, remarked that “it’s great to come here to Upper Canada, to enjoy being in such an hilarious comedy. It’s good to hear audiences laugh.”

And Shaun Clark, who first stepped on to the stage in Seduced by Moonlight, in the original Toothbrush Factory some 20 years ago, feels like he’s come “full circle.”

Director Bauer is confident the cast dynamics, the hilarity of the script, and the wonderful set built for the production will ensure a rollicking good time for all as No Sex Please, We’re British prepares to open August 1.

“It’s great to be working with wonderful old friends and with exciting new actors in this production. What a strong mix!”

For  tickets to No Sex Please, We’re British, contact Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg at 613-543-3713 or go to uppercanadaplayhouse.com.

[…]

 

The antiques themselves were wonderfully old, but the location of the 2013 Antique Festival in Morrisburg was very new. This year, the Festival, which was held July 20-21, was set up in downtown Morrisburg, in the plazas.

“From all that we are hearing, we have a success on our hands, said Gerri Fitzsimmons, manager of the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce. “The vendors (about 20 this year) told us they were very happy with the new venue. We found that we had steady visitors to the tents both Saturday and Sunday. Everything set up on the main mall, and really visible,  which seemed to attract a lot of visitors. Also there was no admission price for the Festival.”

This year’s Antique Festival was operated for the first time by the Morrisburg Business Improvement Association, after the Morrisburg & District Lions Club indicated they were no longer able to operate the popular event. Carl McIntryre served as the chair  of the committee, which assumed responsibility for organizing the festival in May.

“Earlier this year, our mayor outlined goals for South Dundas,” McIntyre said. “An event like this festival, bringing partnerships with business, government and local groups, really speaks to those goals. Doug Grenkie and the Pinkus family were very generous in donating their buildings to our  event.”

“From a business poll we took,” Fitzsimmons said, “local businesses saw a substantial increase in traffic and revenue. Many felt that this move was a great idea. We are going to use feedback from the surveys to determine where to concentrate advertising in the future and to determine improvements for next year’s event.”

Shoppers could visit places like the tent of Brian Wildsmith, a specialist in antique ‘advertising.’ “Signs and any kind of advertising  materials are top sellers in the antique market today,” he explained.

Mistralle Brouillard of Ottawa was interested in old books, while Susan and Chris Dwyre of Brockville were “looking for old toys.” Donna Leroux of Glen Walter came to Morrisburg’s Antique Festival to examine estate jewellery.

Times Past Antiques, from Ottawa, specialized in silver and antique objects from England and the continent. There were booths showing  furniture,  china, music and other collectibles and even a display of Ken Carter memorabilia.

“We talked to visitors from as far away as Pennsylvania,” said Festival volunteer Kim Morrow.

“The response has been wonderful this weekend,” said Helen Laurin, also manning the welcome desk. “This is the Morrisburg BIA’s first time running the Antique Festival, and we will use what we learn this week to make the event even better next year.”

[…]

 

 It was supposed to be an ordinary Sunday afternoon, July 14.

“We’d just come home from playing golf,” said Walter Reid of Bridlewood Crescent in Iroquois. “I’d noticed that the brakes on my golf cart seemed to be sticking, so I thought I would fix them. While Lyse (partner Lyse Scharfe) made lunch, I put the front of the cart up on a block so  could get underneath to spray the brakes with oil.”

This is the point that an ordinary day turned into a very frightening one for Walter, Lyse and their neighbours Mike and Donna Zeron and Kirk Hunter and Tracey Beckstead-Hunter. 

As Walter lay under the 1,000 pound golf cart, “I reached for something and accidentally hit the accelerator from underneath: the cart suddenly came off the block and ran over me.”

Walter said that, had the machine not somehow caught his arm and rolled him over on his stomach, the full 1,000 pounds would have come straight down on his chest, crushing it immediately. As it was, he was pressed face down, deep into the dirt,  tightly jammed there, unable to speak or move, in terrible pain and slowly being smothered.

Lyse called him from the house, and when he did not answer, she came out. 

“I started screaming right away,” she recalled. “I could not shift the cart at all, and Walter was turning blue.”

Still screaming, she ran next door to the Zeron home, “and burst through their front door.”

Mike Zeron immediately raced over, but he too, could not shift the cart alone. 

“I remembered seeing Kirk (Hunter) out cutting his grass down the street,” Mike said. He leaped into his truck, flew down the street and yelled at Kirk to get in immediately.

“I didn’t completely know what had happened,” Kirk recalled much later. “But I got in right away. Mike drove me to Walter’s so fast I thought we’d go through the garage.”

Donna Zeron and Tracey Beckstead-Hunter, both of whom have taken first aid courses and know CPR, also rushed to the scene. 

“By now,” Walter said quietly, “I was in a really bad way. I remember heavy, heavy pain. Suddenly I know I saw bright lights, and then the pain just stopped. I think now, that for a minute, I might have actually passed away.” 

His condition terrified his rescuers. Walter, they say, was blue down to his shoulders. “His lips and ears were blackish purple, like he’d had a severe beating. We were really afraid he was gone,” Mike recalled.

Zeron and Hunter, with strength they didn’t know they possessed, flat lifted the golf cart off Walter, actually suspending it in air for nearly four minutes while the women grabbed Walter’s legs and dragged him to safety.

Donna immediately started CPR compressions. Suddenly, they heard Walter gasp, and then he began to choke.

“I heard Donna say he’s got a pulse,” Tracey said. “When he began to choke, I said get him into the recovery position. We immediately began talking to him, reassuring him, trying to keep him conscious. He was moaning and couldn’t form words at first.”

At that point, the Iroquois Emergency Fire Rescue vehicle pulled into the Reid driveway, responding quickly to Lyse’s 911 call. “I heard Walter suddenly ask for his phone,” said Mike Zeron, smiling now. “That’s when I began to think maybe everything was going to be alright.”

Trevor Riopelle, Andre Menges, Bill Ewing and Rick Cogdale of the South Dundas Fire Emergency Services “knew just what to do,” said Lyse. 

“What a huge relief it was to see them arrive. They set up oxygen, put on a neck brace and started alert tests.”

Gord and Cheryl Barton, who had just been passing by, also stopped and promptly looked after all the Zeron and Hunter children during the emergency. 

Walter was ultimately transported to the Ottawa Civic Hospital, which has a trauma centre. He suffered three broken ribs and bruising. 

He and Lyse are certain that he would not be alive today had his friends and neighbours not responded so fully to the crisis.

“I can’t thank everybody enough for what they did for me,” Walter Reid said. “They absolutely saved my life. I really wanted to recognize these good neighbours for their quick thinking and for helping me when I was in trouble.”

Incidentally, Walter says that “from now on, I will definitely not be fixing my golf cart myself.” 

[…]

 

Sherry-Lynn Harbers says she likes working outdoors, and she likes working with seniors. So when the opportunity presented itself to return to her summer job for a second year, it wasn’t a tough decision.

Harbers, 20, is employed by the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre in Williamsburg, as a helping hand to seniors living throughout South Dundas.

She quite simply, does the various summertime jobs that seniors living in their homes or apartments might have a difficult time getting done.  These summertime chores include lawn mowing, planting of beds and gardens, weeding and cleaning and minor maintenance around the home, both inside and out.

“One of the hardest things I have had to do was cut out pieces of sod and move them to an old garden area. It was a lot of work,” says Sherry of the summer job she truly loves.

“Generally, I do a lot of lawn mowing, which has been difficult to keep scheduled this year because of the rain. But, I also weed beds, wash windows and even help clean decks.”

The Leader caught up to Sherry-Lynn recently, at the home of Earl and Sheila Hummell in Morrisburg. While Sherry-Lynn was busy mowing the lawn, Sheila pointed out how valuable her help has been this summer, their first time involved with the program.

“Our riding lawn mower quit. I’ve tried to cut it, and my husband has tried but we can’t do it. It’s wonderful to have Sherry-Lynn help us out. She does just about anything you ask her to do. One day she helped me clean the deck. She has a really nice personality. She is always friendly and always smiling. We have really lucked out with this.”

The Hummells have Sherry-Lynn booked for two hours on Thursdays, and Sherry-Lynn explains that some of her seniors may have her only once all summer for a special project, some appointments are for an hour or two every couple of weeks and some are on a weekly basis.

Now preparing to head into her third year at Brock University where she is studying Recreation and Leisure, Sherry-Lynn says she hopes to work in a recreation program in a senior facility or perhaps in a sports complex setting.

She says she is quite busy and has a list of some 40 to 50 seniors she will work for over the summer. 

Clients pay an hourly rate and Sherry-Lynn is employed by the Senior Support Centre. She puts in a very full 35 hour week, and covers all of South Dundas. She is available until August 23.

In addition to the outdoor gardening work, seniors can find themselves in need of some help indoors. “I might clean their windows, or I might go into their home once a week and help them to clean out a cupboard or two. They often can’t reach the higher cupboards or lift the heavier things. Some have arthritis which prevents them from doing things.”

Seniors who are interested in having Sherry-Lynn help out around their homes can call the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre in Williamsburg at 613-535-2924.

Now in her second year of employment with the centre, Sherry-Lynn says she has enjoyed the work and the people she has met. “They really appreciate what I do, so they are always nice.”

The summertime student position is partially funded by a government grant, donations and by the charge assessed to the clients. 

[…]

 

Police and the Ontario Fire Marshals Office are investigating the cause of a July 21 fire that destroyed a camper trailer and damaged an adjacent home.

At 2:47 a.m. a tenant woke up to a fire at the side of his house located at 13027 Froats Road. 

The tenant reported the fire to emergency officials.

South Dundas firefighters from the Williamsburg station attended the scene. 

They quickly extinguished the flames that were burning in a makeshift wooden box. 

“Looking further, it was observed that a camper trailer, adjacent to the house was completely destroyed by fire,” said Chris McDonough, Fire Chief for South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services. 

“Exposures from the fire had melted the siding and facia down to the wood framing,” he added. 

Nearby lawn tractors and equipment were damaged as well.

Crews remained on scene until 4:19 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Fire Chief McDonough estimated damage at approximately $2,500.

[…]

 

A vacant house at 10873 Seibert Road was completely destroyed by fire July 21.

The call came in at 11:30 a.m. Firefighters from the Iroquois station attended the scene.

“Upon arrival, the building was fully consumed and the structure was down,” said Chris McDonough, fire chief for South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services.

“The amount of garbage and combustible debris that people have been disposing at this location made it very difficult for fire crews to access and extinguish the fire,” he explained.

An excavator was called in to remove excess debris to allow firefighters to ensure that the fire was completely out.

Crews cleared the scene around 3 a.m. and no injuries were reported.

[…]