The aftermath of a cold weekend in New Brunswick is starting to show its chilly side effects: burst pipes from what turned out to be a record-breaking weekend for temperatures.
According to Environment Canada, New Brunswick saw wind chill ranges between -40 C and -50 C.
Several areas shattered daily low-temperature records, including Grand Manan, Miscou Island, Moncton, Saint John, St. Stephen and Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.
According to the Saint John Fire Department, calls throughout the weekend surged with reports of burst pipes. Fire Chief Kevin Clifford told Global News that there were nearly 100 calls made to the service between Saturday and Sunday, with multiple forced entries into homes due to flooding.
He said that the number of calls is about four times the amount of any other weekend.
“We were basically prioritizing calls — some of the trucks were going out for an hour and a half or 40 minutes and were called out again,” said Clifford on Monday.
Things at Saint John Energy also peaked during the cold snap. The energy provider tweeted Monday afternoon that numbers reached their 10-year peak, with 253 megawatts used just before 10 a.m.
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Calls to the Canadian Red Cross spiked as well over the weekend. According to spokesperson Dan Bedell, burst pipes along with cold weather meant 14 calls of pipes bursting alone, with another two calls for house fires.
According to the service, they helped 55 people from 17 locations around the Maritimes.
“Probably more of in this case than what I can remember from my time with the Red Cross was burst pipes. Which in turn led to water leaks and water damage,” said Bedell.
He said that many of the calls were to homes that were without power due to flooding caused by busted pipes.
Homes weren’t the only ones subjected to the damage.
Multiple schools across New Brunswick remained closed on Monday to clean up some of the damage left behind.
Some will remain closed on Tuesday.
— with files from Rebecca Lau