Bad gas: Fuel mix-up at Langdon, Alta. gas station results in repair bills for drivers
Dozens of drivers are expected to have been affected by an issue at a southern Alberta gas station, where diesel and regular gas was inadvertently added to the wrong storage tanks.
Travis Clarke was one of the affected drivers. He said he filled up at the Gas Plus station, at 708 Centre St. in Langdon, Alta., and then went on a trip to Medicine Hat and back, a distance of approximately 1,000 kilometres.
"It ran rough for the first trip and the second trip home it was sputtering, stalling, dying, spitting black stuff out of the exhaust," he said. "The oil pressure dropped, (so) I checked the oil and it was full of diesel."
Clarke said he reached out to Gas Plus, the owner of the station where he fuelled up, and was told they were out of office until Aug. 4.
"It's kind of frustrating that they're taking an extended long weekend while we're sitting at home with our long weekend plans cancelled," Clarke said.
The one thing Clarke wants, he said, is to have the company commit, in writing, to cover all costs associated with repairs for his family's sole vehicle.
"Out here, most of us have two or more vehicles to get to work in but, for us, it's the only vehicle we have that fits all of us."
COMPANY CONFIRMS FUEL PROBLEM
CTV News reached out to GP Fuels Inc., the company that operates the Gas Plus stations, and it said it apologized for the inconvenience the problem created for drivers that fuelled up at the Langdon location.
In a statement, it said a "mix of fuel," delivered on July 24, resulted in diesel being placed into the regular gas tank and regular gas added to the diesel tank by the distributor.
GP Fuels said it was certain that no one who bought regular gas at the location received pure diesel and no one who bought diesel received pure regular gas.
"If you purchased regular gas, you received approximately 80 per cent regular gas and 20 per cent diesel," the company said in a statement. "If diesel was purchased, you received approximately 60 per cent diesel and 40 per cent regular gas."
According to the statement, the issue may have affected anyone who bought mid-grade fuel, but those who purchased premium would have not had an issue.
It did not say how many drivers were affected, but confirmed that the issue was not discovered until July 27, a full three days after the delivery.
GP Fuels said it is also offering help to anyone whose vehicle was damaged because of the problem.
"We ask only those experiencing vehicle problems who purchased regular gas, mid-grade gas or diesel between 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 24, 2021 and 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 to email up at support@gpfuels.com with your contact information.
"We will be in contact with everyone in the coming days with more information on how to proceed and, in the meantime, ask you to retain your proof of fuel purchase and all receipts as all claims will be processed through insurance on a case-by-case basis."
As soon as the issue was discovered, GP Fuels said it "shut down the site immediately." All of the affected tanks were completely drained and refilled with the proper fuels.
The issue involving the gas pumps at the Langdon Gas Plus has since been resolved and drivers are filling up once again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.