Pipes burst in frigid weather, fire crews flooded with calls

Calgary fire crews are responding to an average of one flood call per hour, as pipes burst in the ongoing deep freeze.

Sprinkler lines, hot water heaters and other water pipes have been rupturing since temperatures plunged over the weekend.

People who live in apartments should keep their windows completely closed, reminded Jeff Budai, spokesman for the Calgary fire department, on Tuesday.

"Leaving them open as much as a crack can cause pipes to freeze and break," he said in a news release.

The Calgary fire department has responded to as many as 30 floods — most of them in the downtown area — in the last 24 hours, Budai said Tuesday.

Of the 15 calls that downtown fire station No. 1 responded to in a 14-hour shift on Monday night, 10 were flood-related, he said.

Many of the ruptures have happened on upper levels of highrises, causing water to flood onto floors below.

Firefighters have had to use water vacuums, squeegees, mops and pails, and in severe cases, sump pumps. Crews have also removed toilets to expose a drain for the water to flow out.

The fire department removes the bulk of the water but it's up to the building management to deal with professional cleanup, Budai said.

Maintenance and building owners should leave a detailed map of water shutoffs in the alarm panel to help firefighters in case no building personnel are present, he said.

He also reminded management companies to keep updated keys in lock boxes so fire crews don't have to force their way into buildings.

Water damages radio station library

A pipe burst at the University of Calgary's MacEwan Hall on Monday, flooding campus station CJSW.

Staff and volunteers have been working through the night and day to save about 3,000 wet CDs.

About 300 discs have been ruined, which is a big loss because they're mostly independent, local labels, said station manager Chad Saunders.

"A lot of it's really harder to find as time goes on. CJSW has a club and has been around since the '50s so a lot of that stuff has just been accumulated over the years," said Saunders.

He said the station is looking forward to moving to a new space on the third floor next year, after several incidents of water damage over the years.