Friday, January 10, 2003

HIGHWAY 17 NOW OPEN
Sudbury, Ont.

A tractor-trailer rolled over on highway 17 at Regional Road 55 near Sudbury at 7:00 this morning. Two people were taken to hospital. It took rescue workers over an hour to free one of the victims. Both are in hospital in Sudbury with non-life threatening injuries.

The O.P.P. advises that the highway is now open to traffic.


GASOLINE AND WOODSTOVE SENDS ONE TO HOSPITAL
Echo Bay, Ont.

A Laird Township man found out the hard way that it is not a good idea to try to start a fire in a wood stove with gasoline.

At about 6:30 p.m. last night, Sault Ste Marie OPP and ambulance personnel were called to an Echo Bay home after the man stumbled into his friend's house with burns to his face, scalp, and neck.

An investigation has indicated that the man was alone in a garage while his friends were repairing a vehicle behind the garage. The friends finished the repair and went inside their house.

No one noticed the victim was not with them. A short time later the victim stumbled into the house and fell on the floor.

The rest of the people soon realized that he had badly burned himself and quickly learned that this accident happened in the garage. An ambulance was summonsed and they went to check out the garage.

They discovered that the garage was filling with smoke and a small fire was burning outside the woodstove. The fire was extinguished by the home owner.

Further investigation has determined that the victim may have tried to start the wood stove by pouring gasoline on the fire. Police believe that the gasoline ignited and caused the injuries to the victim.

The Echo Bay Fire Department was called to the scene as a precaution but their services were not needed.

Fifty-year-old James Spin of Laird Twp. was taken to Sault Area Hospital with first degree burns to his face, scalp and neck. Police believe that alcohol consumption was a significant factor in this incident.