Free salt frenzy as Vancouverites scoop up city offering

How desperate were Vancouverites to get their hands on the free salt being offered at 10 city fire halls?

Really desperate, as it turns out.

Icy streets and sidewalks have made life miserable for pedestrians and drivers alike thanks to an unusual cold snap that has gripped Vancouver for almost a month.

One person desperate for the free saltwas caught in the middle of the night attempting to load up a truck and garbage cans even though the publicly stated opening time was 9 a.m. PT.

Others showed up an hour in advance, and long salt lines formed around the fire halls.

By 10 a.m.the free salt was gone, leading some to describe the situation as a #saltcrisis on social media.

The City of Vancouver providedmore salt later in the day,but people were restricted to one bucket instead of two.

While the salt was originally going to be available until 8 p.m., the city's supply was extinguished by 3:30 p.m.

The city says anew patch will be delivered to fire halls between 8 a.m. and noon on Thursday.

Vancouverites get free salt

8 years ago

Duration 1:04

Vancouver is offering its residents buckets of free road salt thanks to uncharacteristically cold and snowy winter weather at certain fire halls