Fire – Alfred Street

Kingston Fire and Rescue says the cause of a fire at a residence on Alfred Street is under investigation.

Firefighters responded to numerous calls about smoke and flames in the area near Princess Street around 6:45 last night.

The fire caused extensive damage to the building and two people were taken to hospital by Frontenac Paramedics after they were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Kingston Fire and Rescue says the fire was extremely hard to get to and contain but firefighters were successful in keeping the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

 

Drone PSA

A video message from the OPP Joint Forces Penitentiary Squad is urging people to report drones or drone operators in the area of federal prisons.

Drones are being used to drop packages containing tobacco, drugs, cell phones, weapons and other contraband into prisons.

The video was released yesterday on the OPP’s Twitter feed.

Sergeant Joel Blacklock is featured in the video shot outside Kingston Penitentiary.  He explains it is illegal to fly within a mile of a prison and says drone operators could face fines or jail terms as well as drug trafficking charges.  He urges people not to pick up abandoned drones or packages.

 

Guilty of Manslaughter

A 27-year-old man has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of his 65-year-old father at a cottage on Cranberry Lake, north of Kingston.

The jury in the case found Robert Watts not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Watts will be back in court in Kingston next month for his sentencing.

The body of his father was found at the Cranberry Lake cottage in September of 2015.

Watts was arrested for speeding on the 401 near Port Hope. He told police he had beaten his father to death and was driving back to Ajax to tell his mother.

 

Low Water Levels

Despite the rain recently there are drought conditions in the region.

Quinte Conservation has issued a level 2 drought advisory and is urging people in the Napanee River, Salmon River and Moira River watersheds to cut back on water use by 20%.

The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority issued a Level 1 drought advisory on September 6th due to lower than average surface water conditions.  The advisory reflects a potential water supply problem if there continues to be a lack of precipitation.

 

CFB – Information Pickets

Members of the Union of National Defence Employees at CFB Kingston staged a protest at the entrance to CFB Kingston this morning to protest contracting out.  Striking Commissionaires, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada were also on the picket line.