Deep freeze: Calgarians hunker down for cold snap

Dave Litwin wasn't planning a shopping trip to Canadian Tire on Monday morning but apparently his truck was.

"I went to start it this morning. (It) wouldn't go," he said.

"My wife had to boost me. Then I stopped for a coffee and the truck wouldn't start. I had to get boosted again, so I'm buying a new battery."

A lot of Calgarians are likely buying new batteries or trying to salvage their old ones right now.

With the temperatures hovering around -30 C, many people just want to stay inside.

That's not a comfortable option for everyone though.

Nine different water mains have burst around the city in this cold snap, including one in Brentwood on Pam MacDonald's street.

The city shut the water off for the repair but MacDonald filled every pot in the house first.

"I filled up everything I have," she said, laughing.

"I've got three kids. That's about all we're going to do for now and then go from there."

Emergency crews say that extra layer of cold adds an extra layer of problems for them as well, whether they're at a house fire or a car accident,

"We'll get other trucks to come out to the scene and have those crews go warm up," said Calgary Fire Department Chief Steve Dongworth.

"And going to something like a medical call on the street in weather like this, it's bad enough for the patients who are calling us but it can be very difficult if you're doing fine motor things and it is freezing cold."