ASSINIBOIA, Saskatchewan, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- One big fire has left one small Canadian town without drinking water for nearly three weeks, officials say.
Firefighters used so much water to put out the Dec. 16 blaze that burned Assiniboia's historic Franklin Hotel to the ground they depleted the town's potable water supply, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.
Since then, the 2,300 or so residents of Assiniboia have had to boil water to make it safe to drink.
The town's water treatment plant is slowly replenishing adequate reserves but it's been hindered by a problem with suspended particles. While no bacteria has turned up, citizens are being told to keep on boiling until the supply of clean water gets built back up.
"It'll take several days to get rid of what's there and replace it with nicer water," town engineer Blaine Crowley said.
