More than a dozen people were rescued from vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway in west Calgary late Tuesday after a major water main broke, damaging thousands of homes.
A significant breach occurred in the northwest of the city in the area of Sarsi Trail and the 16 Avenue Northwest/Trans Canada Highway interchange, near the village of Bowness.
First details from City of Calgary indicate that 2,000 homes and 100 businesses were affected.
The Calgary Fire Department rescued 13 people from their vehicles on Highway 1 while seven vehicles were stranded in the water. No one was hurt.
Firefighters and members of the Calgary Police Service were on the scene late Tuesday and overnight the section of the Trans-Canada Road that crosses the Bow River was closed from Sarcy Trail to Home Road.
An Emergency Operations Center was opened and the Municipal Emergency Plan was activated.
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Calgary Mayor Jeremy Farkas announced late Tuesday that a boil water order had been issued for the Montgomery, Parkdale and Point Mackay areas.
Farkas said the city has activated Stage 4 water restrictions for outdoor water uses such as skating rinks, snowmaking or other large outdoor water uses.
Indoor facilities such as swimming pools, skating rinks and recreational facilities are encouraged to implement plans to reduce water consumption.
“As part of our efforts to manage water supplies during this critical period, we need everyone to take simple but effective steps to reduce indoor water use,” Farkas said in one of his several social media updates.
This included limiting showers to three minutes, flushing toilets only when necessary, and only running dishwashers and laundries when they are full.
After an initial investigation, authorities said they believe the break is connected to the Bearspaw South Feeder. infamous for the significant gap in June 2024 this led to a long power outage.
Emergency crews are now assessing the cause of the break, damage and water pressure in the system to determine the impact on nearby residents.
The city expects media to be available mid to late morning Wednesday.
– More to come…
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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