London firefighters battle stubborn barn blaze

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London firefighters were still at the scene Friday morning battling a barn blaze south of Highway 401 that erupted Thursday night.

According to social media posts from the London Fire Department, crews were there with Thames Centre and Central Elgin firefighters to tackle the hay barn blaze at 3700 Old Victoria Rd.

In an update at 1:45 a.m. Friday, firefighters were still working after using 450,000 litres of water and moving hay with two excavators to get to the seat of the fire. Inspectors attended the scene and the Ontario Fire Marshal was notified of the blaze, officials said.

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Shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, firefighters were still fighting the fire, saying the wind had shifted several times overnight. The same area saw a destructive barn fire in March of last year, where a barn and grass fire caused an estimated $2 million in damages, and similarly bled into the next day after it started.

Man charged with assaulting police officer

A 30-year-old Woodstock man is facing charges of assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest after a London police officer was assaulted Wednesday night.

London police say that at 9:35 p.m., a man was escorted off a downtown property by security because of intoxication, and officers witnessed the man yelling and swearing after being asked to leave.

When officers approached, the man swung his fist toward one of the officers, and the man resisted when officers attempted to arrest him, police say.

There were no reported injuries, and the accused is set to appear in London court on Aug. 15, police add.

One person pulled from Thames River

London firefighters took part in a rescue on the Thames River Thursday, pulling a person out of the water.

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Several crews went into action at multiple spots along the river, including at the Hamilton Road bridge, near Clarke Road, East Park Amusement Park, and Meadowlilly bridge.

Firefighters were able to grab hold of the person in the water near East Park. Crews then moved to the Meadowlilly bridge, where the person was pulled from the water.

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Charges in six-figure drug bust

Seven Woodstock residents have been charged after roughly $134,000 in drugs and cash were seized from several apartments in the city.

Police say that on Wednesday at 4:45 a.m., several Woodstock police units teamed up with police from Stratford and St. Thomas to search the apartments.

The searches yielded $132,000 in suspected fentanyl, meth, and cocaine, as well as just under $2,000 in cash.

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Seven people face a raft of charges, including drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of stolen property worth less than $5,000.

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