The frigid temperatures during this Alberta deep freeze are affecting several businesses in Calgary who were forced to shut down temporarily because of heating malfunctions.
Una Pizza and Wine said its gas regulator froze Wednesday and prompted the packed restaurant to close its doors during a busy dinner service Wednesday evening.
Owner Jayme MacFayden said the building’s gas regulator — used for heating and cooking — froze.
Subsequently, the heat stopped working. The temperature dropped down to 9 C inside, and there were concerns it would dip even lower.
“The whole building was full so we had orders coming in, so we had to, unfortunately, break the news to people that the food they ordered, we weren’t going to be able to deliver,” MacFayden said.
The entire building, which housed Una Pizza + wine, Una Takeaway, Frenchie Wine Bar, Bread + Circus Trattoria Romana had more than 100 patrons inside at the time, and for the safety of everyone, a decision was made at around 8 p.m. to close.
“All of our cooking power was completely shut off,” she said.
“We had to call off our staff for the day. We just closed the building for the day because we weren’t sure how long we would be without gas for.”
According to MacFayden, ATCO Gas worked throughout the night and into the morning to fix the regulator — allowing the eatery to re-open for business Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Calgary West Soccer Centre also lost heat Wednesday evening. According to the Calgary Minor Soccer Association, eight games had to be cancelled due to heater issues.
In a statement, the group said “last night, eight youth games were cancelled due to the heater malfunction; we are currently working to reschedule these games.
“The heater is now back up and running and all games we resume as scheduled this evening,” the statement read.