Line rupture causes heat loss for Melfort and area SaskEnergy customers

Jan 10, 2018 | 1:34 PM

SaskEnergy is feverishly working to keep as many as 4,000 customers in the Melfort area warm.

Calls started coming into the province’s natural gas supplier Wednesday morning from the town of St. Brieux. The reports of heat loss continued into Kinistino and eventually Melfort. SaskEnergy communications manager Dave Burdeniuk said they found the root of the cause.

“We actually found a pipeline had ruptured in a farmer’s field between Weldon and Birch Hills,” Burdeniuk said.

Crews were able to patch in with a nearby line, and heat has now been restored through the repair. Crews are on route to the site as well as the communities of Melfort, Kinistino and St. Brieux. Burdeniuk said with another cold snap expected in the Northeast, the crown corporation wanted to ensure safety.

“We’re going to go door-to-door in those communities right through the day and night into tomorrow morning to make sure everyone has their furnace and water heater relit,” he said.

Help from Prince Albert, Yorkton and Saskatoon is being called upon by SaskEnergy. Residents are encouraged to check your heating systems and appliances to make sure they are on and running properly. If you are not home, Burdeniuk said returning to your residence to check or asking someone to do so is also recommended. He said a timeline of repairs isn’t known however the company has plans in place to ensure continued service.

“We have all the equipment on the way to do the repairs. We’re going to bring trailers of high-pressure gas to feed more gas to the system. We’re pulling out all the stops,” Burdeniuk said.

If you are without heat or are concerned with your appliances, contact SaskEnergy.

 

Clark.stork@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @ClarkStork