It was a busy several hours for Edmonton firefighters who responded to dozens of water pipe-related calls from Monday night to Tuesday morning.
Edmonton Fire Rescue was called to 39 incidents of water pipe damage between 6 p.m. Monday and 7:20 a.m. Tuesday. The City of Edmonton said crews were receiving three to four calls at a time during certain points of the night.
The incidents happened at homes, apartment buildings and businesses.
The temperature rose to around -2 C by 4 a.m. on Tuesday after being in the -20s on Monday morning.
“Burst lines all over town. As temperatures warmed up, the pipes are bursting,” Edmonton Fire Rescue district chief Robert Bend said.
“Lines are already frozen and now we’re heating up, so we’ve been chasing — all night — the broken lines.”
READ MORE: Extreme cold warning dropped in Edmonton, warm up on the way
According to the Edmonton Public School Board, 10 of its schools suffered water damage, including J. Percy Page and Jackson Heights. Some of the damage came from internal pipe issues or external fire hydrant problems.
EPSB officials said both gymnasium floors at J. Percy Page High School will need to be replaced.
Nellie Carlson School in the southwest end of the city also suffered water damage after a reported pipe burst.
At around 4 a.m., fire crews could be seen putting tape around the arches in the entrance to Ramada South.
READ MORE: Frigid temperatures spark extreme cold warning across much of Alberta
The damage was visible with insulation and plywood covering the ground. A manager at the hotel said the sprinkler line above the drive-thru breezeway froze which caused the damage.
Watch below: Edmonton firefighters dealt with numerous incidents of burst pipes across the city as temperatures climbed significantly overnight.
The iHuman Youth Society suffered what was believed to be a water main break, which caused damage to part of the main floor of the building.
“It’s upsetting for the youth because, for the youth, this is a place they see as a home and a location that is safe and comfortable for them,” iHuman executive director Catherine Broomfield said.
“So it’s always a worry that the youth will feel it’s not safe to come back or that there is too much damage.”
Watch below: Temperature rise causes Edmonton pipe bursts
Crews were also called to deal with smoke at City Centre Mall, where a persistent haze was coming from the third floor of the building, firefighters said.
The cause of the smoke was believed to be electrical.
Officials were expecting the mall to open at its scheduled time on Tuesday morning.
— With files from Global’s Emily Mertz
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