Southern Manitoba has been hit by another blast of wintry weather. Up to 10cms of snow, possibly a little more, was expected to fall throughout the region on Tuesday into Wednesday morning, according to CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner.

Greg Zimmerman, the Fire Chief for Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services, points out potential hazards this could create for homeowners.

“One thing to remember is to keep all of your doorways shoveled so that you can go out your front or back door if you need to leave the house. If you have people sleeping in basement [bedrooms], you're required to have at least one window as a fire escape, as an alternate to the stairs. Make sure that is shoveled out and the window is not frozen shut so people can still get out the windows.”

Zimmerman says accumulated snow can create specific hazards for homeowners who use gas appliances.

“Your furnace [exhaust] vents will be up high. You have to watch that. In the cold weather they ice up. If you have a high efficiency furnace, then your air intake and your vent are usually in the side of your house down near the ground. You need to make sure that those stay clear and that they don't ice up. And another good one would be to check your gas meter. You don't want your gas meter buried because it can affect your gas meter and your gas pressures inside the house.”

When using space heaters to ward off the cold, Zimmerman says it’s important to maintain a clutter-free space of three feet around the heater to avoid creating a fire hazard.