Under blue skies and perfect ski temps just west of Barrie, Ont., stories from The Canadian Press started to roll in on my BlackBerry, at which point I e-mailed a colleague from the top of the hill and asked her to post news of the fire on our website.

It’s the third major fire in this neck of the woods in the last several weeks. The first blaze, in November in Wasaga Beach, Ont., is profiled in the February issue of Fire Fighting in Canada, which should land in subscribers’ mail boxes shortly and will be posted on our website in the next day or so. The second, in Barrie, destroyed the historic Wellington Hotel and several other buildings on Dec. 7. Two people have been charged with arson in that fire.

The Toronto Star’s coverage of yesterday’s fire on Queen Street is superb. You can read the stories and see the photos here. (Click on the box under the photo for additional stories and photos.)