Latest news with #SusanRose
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
In Conception Bay North, a town is on edge after rash of wildfires
At nearly 10 p.m. on Thursday, Susan Rose and Fay Short were busy making cold cut sandwiches with mayonnaise and white bread, in the kitchen of the old Adam's Cove school. The snacks were for fire and forestry crews, who were busy fighting a wildfire that broke out in Small Point, which is part of the town of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove in Conception Bay North. "A lot of us won't be sleeping tonight, I can guarantee you that," Rose said Thursday evening. Only one shed was lost in the fire and no homes were destroyed, although it's still being monitored by forestry crews and is classified on the provincial wildfire dashboard as out of control. Thursday was the second time within the past two months a wildfire broke out in the area. The last wildfire in May ravaged the community of Adam's Cove, forcing residents to evacuate and destroying 12 homes and 45 other structures. Rose says she was out for a swim Thursday afternoon when she began to smell smoke, a scent she's starting to know well. Residents say there have also been a handful of other smaller fires in the community that fortunately didn't turn into something bigger. They are now suspicious about the causes of these fires, and want answers. "I chose to live in this beautiful, peaceful town that has been completely turned upside down," said resident Wanda Crocker, who has lived full-time in the area for around two decades. "I talked to a father today who says 'My child, who's six years old, who is completely freaked out, crying, because she hears the sirens again.'" 'We have a problem' In an emailed statement to CBC News Friday afternoon, the RCMP said Thursday's fire is under investigation in co-operation with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. The force also pointed to a news release it put out on June 10, which states that the Harbour Grace RCMP is investigating a series of brush fires in the Adam's Cove area and is asking the public for information. It says a fire on June 6 was not reported to police and did not result in significant damage. It also says officers responded to brush fires in Adam's Cove before and after the May wildfire. As for the source of the fires, RCMP says in the news release that "there is currently no evidence to suggest that any of these fires were intentionally set, however, the source of each incident remains under investigation." But Crocker has other suspicions. "I'm gonna come out and say it — I feel like we have an arsonist in this town and it needs to be investigated," she said Thursday evening. "We have a problem." Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam's Cove Mayor Curtis Delaney also says there's a strong assumption the fires are being caused by humans. Robert Hudson, who has lived in the community for most of his life, almost lost his home in the May wildfire, with flames eating up a lot of the gardens and trees in his backyard. He said there has always been the occasional bush fire in the area, but nothing close to the number of fires the town has seen this spring and summer. He and other residents, including Delaney, estimate there have been around seven or eight fires in the past few months. Hudson says all of the fires seem to be popping up along or near the town's trail system, and that they have been located very close together, with only a handful of kilometres separating them. People in the community want the police to do a thorough investigation of the area, and come back to the town council with their reports, said Hudson. For now, many people in the town are living in fear, anticipating when they'll next hear the fire sirens. "Luckily, only for the fire department and their rapid response, do I have a house to live in today," said Hudson. "And I think that at any point in time we have another fire, I really don't know when it's gonna come and affect us all again. And so every time there's a fire, where there's smoke, we're all uptight." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
In Conception Bay North, a town is on edge after rash of wildfires
At nearly 10 p.m. on Thursday, Susan Rose and Fay Short were busy making cold cut sandwiches with mayonnaise and white bread, in the kitchen of the old Adam's Cove school. The snacks were for fire and forestry crews, who were busy fighting a wildfire that broke out in Small Point, which is part of the town of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove in Conception Bay North. "A lot of us won't be sleeping tonight, I can guarantee you that," Rose said Thursday evening. Only one shed was lost in the fire and no homes were destroyed, although it's still being monitored by forestry crews and is classified on the provincial wildfire dashboard as out of control. Thursday was the second time within the past two months a wildfire broke out in the area. The last wildfire in May ravaged the community of Adam's Cove, forcing residents to evacuate and destroying 12 homes and 45 other structures. Rose says she was out for a swim Thursday afternoon when she began to smell smoke, a scent she's starting to know well. Residents say there have also been a handful of other smaller fires in the community that fortunately didn't turn into something bigger. They are now suspicious about the causes of these fires, and want answers. "I chose to live in this beautiful, peaceful town that has been completely turned upside down," said resident Wanda Crocker, who has lived full-time in the area for around two decades. "I talked to a father today who says 'My child, who's six years old, who is completely freaked out, crying, because she hears the sirens again.'" 'We have a problem' In an emailed statement to CBC News Friday afternoon, the RCMP said Thursday's fire is under investigation in co-operation with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. The force also pointed to a news release it put out on June 10, which states that the Harbour Grace RCMP is investigating a series of brush fires in the Adam's Cove area and is asking the public for information. It says a fire on June 6 was not reported to police and did not result in significant damage. It also says officers responded to brush fires in Adam's Cove before and after the May wildfire. As for the source of the fires, RCMP says in the news release that "there is currently no evidence to suggest that any of these fires were intentionally set, however, the source of each incident remains under investigation." But Crocker has other suspicions. "I'm gonna come out and say it — I feel like we have an arsonist in this town and it needs to be investigated," she said Thursday evening. "We have a problem." Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam's Cove Mayor Curtis Delaney also says there's a strong assumption the fires are being caused by humans. Robert Hudson, who has lived in the community for most of his life, almost lost his home in the May wildfire, with flames eating up a lot of the gardens and trees in his backyard. He said there has always been the occasional bush fire in the area, but nothing close to the number of fires the town has seen this spring and summer. He and other residents, including Delaney, estimate there have been around seven or eight fires in the past few months. Hudson says all of the fires seem to be popping up along or near the town's trail system, and that they have been located very close together, with only a handful of kilometres separating them. People in the community want the police to do a thorough investigation of the area, and come back to the town council with their reports, said Hudson. For now, many people in the town are living in fear, anticipating when they'll next hear the fire sirens. "Luckily, only for the fire department and their rapid response, do I have a house to live in today," said Hudson. "And I think that at any point in time we have another fire, I really don't know when it's gonna come and affect us all again. And so every time there's a fire, where there's smoke, we're all uptight."
CBC
15-07-2025
- General
- CBC
How beach bonfires became a staple of St. John's Pride celebration
St. John's Pride festivities are in full swing across the city, but the annual beach party goes back decades, representing Newfoundland and Labrador's 2SLGBTQ+ history. The beach party will be held on Tuesday at Topsail Beach, but the event is more than a fun party. Beach bonfires started being held by members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the 1980s, said Susan Rose, who attended the early gatherings. Rose would go to the bonfires with other friends. She said they would see Pride celebrations in bigger cities like Toronto, and wanted to celebrate too. "So a group of us just got together and said, 'Let's go to Middle Cove Beach and have a bonfire,'" Rose told CBC Radio's Weekend AM. Rose said many people feared they could lose their job if people found out they were 2SLGBTQ+. While homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada in 1969, discrimination based on sexual orientation was outlawed in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1997. "I always remember being on alert until we were protected," said Rose. "I started teaching in 1985 and I had to be more careful then because I would have lost my job." The early bonfires were set up in secluded spots behind rocks, because it allowed the people to be somewhat hidden. Rose said they even had someone on watch. "I remember feeling, 'Wow, I'm in the closet on the beach.' And that really stuck with me.… That puts you on edge," she said. At one point, she said, a group of women held a bonfire alone, but found out the hard way that it wasn't safe. "Of course, we were a bunch of good looking young women and some of the guys there sort of wandered over," said Rose. Eventually, they started inviting gay men as well. "Some of us would be sitting there on the rock, with the fire, and holding hands … but you were always sitting … on a hot rock," said Rose. The beach bonfire became something members of the local 2SLGBTQ+ community began doing every year. Now it is a staple of the Pride celebration. While the event is usually held at Middle Cove Beach, St. John's Pride spokesperson Ellen Davis said this year it will be held on Topsail Beach because it's more accessible. "It's a wonderful celebration down there now and there's no need to worry, and everyone can hold hands and hug each other and not be harassed or targeted," said Rose. And in the event of a fire ban, like the one currently in place provincewide, Davis said an announcement will be made on social media about possibly postponing.
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
N.L. government says it's monitoring four wildfires
ST. JOHN'S - The government of Newfoundland and Labrador says it's monitoring four wildfires in the province, most of them in the Avalon Peninsula. A haze hung over St. John's as a wildfire burned to the northwest, in an area near Adam's Cove. Eugene Howell, a photographer who lives in nearby Northern Bay, N.L., said in a Facebook message that several houses have been destroyed. Susan Rose, a councillor with the Town of Small Point, Broad Cove, Blackhead, Adam's Cove, posted on Facebook that the fire is still burning and 'a few houses are gone' but everyone is safe. Officials say a fire is burning near Butter Pot Provincial Park and a crew has been dispatched to another near the community of Fermeuse. In north-central Newfoundland, the government says there's a wildfire burning 10 kilometres west of the town of Badger, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
N.L. government says it's monitoring four wildfires
ST. JOHN'S – The government of Newfoundland and Labrador says it's monitoring four wildfires in the province, most of them in the Avalon Peninsula. A haze hung over St. John's as a wildfire burned to the northwest, in an area near Adam's Cove. Eugene Howell, a photographer who lives in nearby Northern Bay, N.L., said in a Facebook message that several houses have been destroyed. A wildfire burns close to homes near Western Bay, Nfld., in this Wednesday, May 7, 2025, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Eugene Howell *MANDATORY CREDIT* Susan Rose, a councillor with the Town of Small Point, Broad Cove, Blackhead, Adam's Cove, posted on Facebook that the fire is still burning and 'a few houses are gone' but everyone is safe. Officials say a fire is burning near Butter Pot Provincial Park and a crew has been dispatched to another near the community of Fermeuse. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up In north-central Newfoundland, the government says there's a wildfire burning 10 kilometres west of the town of Badger, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
