TADOULE LAKE, Man. -- The Manitoba government says it is making 7,500 litres of fuel available to a northern Indigenous community that is running low and facing a home-heating emergency.
Delivery trucks have been unable to get to Tadoule Lake because heavy snow has delayed the opening of a winter road that the Sayisi Dene First Nation relies on.
The region is in the midst of an intense cold snap and the First Nation's chief has said fuel is needed to heat more than 100 homes.
Chief Tony Powderhorn said this isn't the first time Tadoule Lake has run low on fuel, but the bitter cold has made the situation more urgent.
The provincially operated Tadoule Lake Airport is making diesel fuel available to the First Nation until the winter road opens.
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler says that's expected to happen next week.
"We were made aware of this urgent situation on Monday and quickly approved this temporary measure to get the community through this time," Schuler said in a release Tuesday.
"The completion of the winter road will allow proper resupply of fuel and many other essentials."
Band councillor Clifford Anderson said Monday that he was aware of three homes which had run out of fuel and were relying on wood stoves.
"People need fuel and that's the bottom line," said Powderhorn. "We live in a very tough environment up there."
