Linked Header

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Firefighters Find Cause Of Gas Smell On West Side

Fire crews getting to the bottom of a strong smell on the West side of the city.

The calls started coming in just after 10pm, with numerous West side residents reporting a strange smell in the air—many saying it smelled like natural gas.

Firefighters tracked down the source of the odoura Maritimes and Northeast substation on the West side that had released a small amount of gas. Wilson says the low atmosphere and the fog at the time made the smell seem much worse than it actually was.

He says there was no danger.

Harper: Feds Will Review Exotic Pet Store Rules

The federal government will review whether or not it needs to play a role in how exotic pet stores are regulated says Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 

Early on Monday, two young brothers in Campbellton were killed by an African rock python that escaped its enclosure in an apartment located above exotic pet store, Reptile Ocean. 

As Harper made the vow yesterday, zoo staff seized 23 reptilesamong them, snakes, lizards and a Cuban crocodileand euthanized four American alligators belonging to the store. Officials say they had to put the animals down because no zoo would take them.

The species of python is banned in the province unless you have a special permit. Environment Canada spokesman Mark Johnson says the department was enlisted to help transport the python to Reptile Ocean 11 years ago after it was abandoned at the SPCA in Moncton. 

Funeral Today For Brothers Killed By Python

A funeral service is being held today for the two boys killed by a python in Campbellton. 

Four year-old Noah Barthe and his six year-old brother Connor were found dead on Monday morning after a 45-kilogram African rock python escaped its enclosure in the apartment, which is above an exotic pet store.

Preliminary autopsy results show the boys died of asphyxiation.

Campbellton's deputy mayor, Ian Comeau, says the brothers will be buried together in one casket and that the service will celebrate their short lives. The funeral will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church.
  
Both the apartment and store are owned by Jean-Claude Savoie, a family friend, who took the boys shopping and to a farm before hosting a sleepover on Sunday with his son.

Two Hospitalized After East Side Crash

A two-car crack up on the East side of the city.

Division Chief Mark Wilson of the Saint John Fire Department says two people were brought to hospital after the crash, which happened just after nine o'clock in the evening on the corner of Westmorland Road and Retail Drive. 

Their injuries are not life-threatening.

Milltown Blaze Leaves Man Temporarily Homeless

A Bordertown blaze gutting a mobile home in the Milltown area, leaving a man temporarily homeless. 

Crews from St. Stephen and Calais, Maine, responded to the fire which was reported at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. No word yet on a cause. 

The Canadian Red Cross is providing emergency lodging for the man, who they say is focusing on his daughter's wedding today.