Travelers running into fuel shortages in the B.C. Interior

Jun 7, 2016 | 4:41 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — Motorists passing through Merritt looking to fill up with gas have been met by an unwelcome suprise over the last few days.

Two gas stations in that community are completely tapped dry of fuel, causing line-ups at the Chevron gas station, with cars, trucks, and campers waiting to gas up at one of the few stations in town that has fuel. 

WATCH BELOW: Full report by Chad Klassen

“I’ve come back from a short holiday on the Island, I own a big trailer, and there’s no gas at one station and no gas at another station,” says Sean McAteer.

A local Merritt resident says he’s “never come to a gas station and found them out of gas.”

Shell in Merritt ran out over the weekend, while Petro-Canada in Merritt has been down since Friday. 

In the case of Petro-Can, many of its stations across the Thompson-Okanagan, including in Kamloops, have run dry. The supplier, Suncor, says the impact of the Fort McMurray wildfires and an outage at a refinery in Edmonton have impacted fuel production. 

“We have been bringing in additional gasoline from both within our own network but also from other companies,” says Suncor spoksperson Sneh Seetal. “We’re moving that product primarily by truck or rail. We are also managing the inventory we have available to ensure we maintain adequate supply.”

But some travelers like McAteer, who works in the oil patch, doesn’t buy the argument that the wildfires alone have caused gas stations to run out. 

“There’s gas out there to get, we need to get back to work,” he says.

The mayor of Merritt Neil Menard also feels it’s a ploy to once again raise the price of gas. 

“I have difficulty accepting that because I know that in our oil patch, there are all kinds of wells that are capped and waiting,” notes Menard.

The good news is the Merritt Shell, which typically gets fuel from Kamloops, is expected to get a delivery from Vancouver overnight. 

Meantime, Petro-Canada stations across the region may have to wait a few more days.