‘Old gal has had rough night’: Main break floods iconic Yukon bar amid -40 C weather

A major water main break in Dawson City, Yukon, flooded streets and a historic bar as temperatures plunged to -40 C amid a recent cold snap. 

Dawson’s public works department said some residents and businesses were without water as workers tried to fix damage from the break that happened Thursday at the city’s 3rd and 4th avenues.

It issued a boil water advisory Friday for all residents as a precautionary measure and said anyone who gets their water from the piped distribution system should boil it for two minutes before drinking. 

Photos posted to social media show water flooding onto Dawson’s snow-covered roads lined by its colourful old-style buildings, some of which date back to the gold-rush era. 

One of those buildings, the Westminster Hotel — known to many locals as “The Pit” — was established in 1898, and the establishment said it received “considerable” damage from the water main break. 

“The old gal has had a rough night,” a post on the hotel’s Facebook page said.

“The beloved Pit will be closed for the time being as we get the damage assessed and our ducks in a row for needed repairs. We’ll keep on swimming over here and keep you all updated as the situation unfolds,” it said. 

A spokesperson for Yukon University said its Dawson campus, across the street from the Pit, didn’t receive any damage but was closed as of noon Friday until repair work was done.

Dawson resident Roy Johnson said he was driving home from the gym when he came across flooded roads and fire trucks on Thursday evening. 

He said the Pit is an iconic building that means a lot to generations of Dawson residents. 

“In spring we hold carnivals there, like games inside and road hockey outside,” Johnson said. 

He reminisced over gatherings held at the Pit, including one where former Montreal Canadiens players including Frank Mahovlich and Maurice “Rocket” Richard came to Dawson and partied at the bar from night until morning. 

Johnson said he’s not sure if the Pit will reopen soon given its age. 

“Every time I go there it’s, ‘Is this place gonna come down when I’m in there,’ you know? Because the wood structure underneath, it’s poles. Unstable, like you can see the warp in the floor, warp in the ceilings,” he said. “I don’t know if you can replace it.”

Environment Canada weather data shows temperatures in the town of about 1,600 residents reached -40 C the night the damage was reported. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2026.