Kelowna

Petro Canada admits it has run into a supply problem.

Gas stations in the Central Okanagan began running out of fuel last Sunday.

The Petro Can in Westbank was the first to run out of gas. Other Petro Can stations in the Central Okanagan are also feeling the pinch.

Petro Canada says the shortfall is the result of problems at its Edmonton refinery.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the catalytic cracking unit, a key part of gasoline production at Petro-Canada's Edmonton refinery had to be shut down last week," says spokesperson Jon Hamilton.

"This has limited the supply of gasoline, forcing Petro-Canada to temporarily reduce the volume of gasoline delivered to customers and associates. As a result, customers in Alberta and the interior of British Columbia may notice outages of gasoline at some Petro-Canada retail sites."

Petro Canada says it is taking action to minimize the impact on motorists including:

• Adjusting its national and local distribution channels to maximize gasoline availability in Western Canada.
• Deploying as many trucks as possible to move gasoline into the area and are working through our supply channels to source additional gasoline supply.

Petro Can says that signs with the wording "zeroed out" will be posted at gas stations that have run out of fuel.