People in southern Manitoba are huddling around electric heaters and towns are setting up warming centres after a pipeline explosion near Otterburne cut gas service to around 4,000 homes.

The heat in 10 communities could be out for between 24 and 72 hours, Manitoba Hydro said in a news release. and Environment Canada issued a blizzard warning for much of the region on Sunday, with temperatures could feel as cold as -39 C with the wind chill.

Manitoba Hydro advises people to use only approved electric space heaters and to minimize their use as much as possible to conserve energy. Do not use barbeques or unapproved heaters because they could create carbon monoxide.

Towns set up warming centres

The RM of Hanover declared a state of local emergency due to the gas shutoff. The RM set up warming centres for residents who don’t have heat in their homes.

Shelter locations include New Bothwell Christian Fellowship Church, Grunthal Abundant Life Fellowship Church, and they are working on setting up a shelter at Kleefeld School.

Myron Dyck, spokesperson for the Town of Niverville, said warming centres were set up at the Heritage Centre and the Golden Friendship Centre. The town requested cots and blankets from the Emergency Measures Organization.

The town received a tank of compressed gas to heat the Heritage Centre, while the Golden Friendship Centre is heated by electricity

The town has also been in contact with several seniors’ housing complexes in the area to ensure the residents are cared for, Dyck said.

RM of Richot Mayor Bob Stefaniuk said about 500 people in his area are without gas. He said people can go to the Community Hall on Main Street.
 

Manitoba Hydro sends temporary gas supplies

Manitoba Hydro said it is sending temporary supplies of compressed natural to comunities affected by the gas outage. The gas is for 'critical sites' such as health care facilities, Hydro said in a news release.

The De Salaberry Health Centre in St. Pierre-Joly was connected to a trucked supply at approximately 2:00 a.m. this morning and the Heritage Life Personal Care Home in Niverville was connected at about 7:00 a.m.

Kleefeld School and Menno Home in Grunthal will also receive temporary gas.

Poor driving conditions may hamper relief efforts, however, as blowing snow makes it difficult for trucks carrying gas tankers to make it to their sites. A Niverville town councillor told CTV News that mobile compressed natural gas units got stuck on their way to Manitoba because of bad weather.

Manitoba Hydro said the supplies are not sufficient to provide natural gas to residences.

Schools closed due to no heat

Several schools in the region announced they will stay closed on Monday due to the lack of heat.

Niverville Collegiate and Niverville Elementary Schools will stay closed, the town announced in a news release. Students expecting to take exams this week should check their school's website.

In the Red River Valley School Division, École Heritage Immersion and Institut Collegial de St. Pierre in St. Pierre-Jolys and École St. Malo School in St. Malo will also be closed Monday.

U.S. customers asked to conserve

The gas outage has affected customers south of the border. The explosion could potentially have damaged two other pipelines, and all three pipelines deliver natural gas to around 100,000 customers in eastern North Dakota, norhtwestern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, Xcel Energy said in a news release Sunday.

Xcel has asked their customers to conserve heat by turning their thermostats down. “Our natural gas supplies currently are adequate, but the situation in the wake of the rupture in a pipeline just south of Winnipeg is still being evaluated,” Kent Larson, Xcel Energy’s senior vice president for operations said in the release.