In January, when the temperature in Kotzebue dropped to minus 30 and below, multiple residents noticed that Vitus fuel thickened, clogged filters and stopped flowing through the heating systems.
Kotzebue residents sued Vitus Energy this week after they reported issues with fuel purchased from the business earlier this winter.
Vitus declined to speak to a reporter about the fuel issues in Kotzebue in January, but around the same time, the companyMixing additives into Vitus fuel helped some customers, but others had to reorder fuel from another business or rely on their woodstoves for heat. “The heating failures caused a variety of harm including but not limited to frozen pipes, damaged heating units, repair costs, interrupted family activities, displacement from households, lost rental income, loss of wages from missed employment, and replacement costs for the fuel and increased heating costs for emergency heaters used to keep houses warm,” according to the court complaint.
In December, when the temperature in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta was about zero, a Bethel customer notified Vitus of a similar issue: Fuel was clogging the filter because of crystals forming in the fuel, said the complaint filed by the Bethel residents.
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