MILITARY PROBES FIRES AND POWER OUTAGES ON SHIPS

The Canadian military is investigating

a rash of fires and power outages on board several naval ships, but says preliminary findings indicate no connections among the incidents. The past two weeks have seen fires on two of the navy’s frigates while at sea near Europe as well as earlier power outages on one of the same vessels and on a coastal-defence ship on antidrug operations in the Pacific. Crew members were able to quickly put out the fires and restore power. Navy officials say there were no injuries and the problems had a minimal impact on the vessels’ respective missions. Officials say initial investigations also have not found links among the various incidents or, in the case of the frigates, any connection to a series of recent technical upgrades to extend their lives into the next decade.