With temperatures in Birmingham expected to dropped to 20 overnight Monday -- the lowest temperature thus far in 2016 -- the place where the city's homeless usually go to seek shelter from the cold was unavailable.

Boutwell Auditorium, typically used as a warming station in such situations, was not available Monday night because presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders spoke to a crowd of thousands. Factoring in wind chill, it was expected to feel more like 15 degrees on the streets of Birmingham.

Last week, the auditorium housed about 300 people a night when it served as a warming station for three nights.

"We've never had a night like this where it will be in the teens and we weren't able to open," said Don Lupo, of the mayor's office of citizen's assistance.

Lupo later that night posted on Facebook that people should not blame Sanders or the SCLC, which had an event there earlier in the day, for the warming station not being open on "on the coldest night we've had in a few years."

Instead, Lupo urged people to use the experience as a reason to start a discussion of ways to find emergency shelters in Birmingham.

"Maybe tomorrow we'll wake up with a fresh idea of what to do -- maybe tomorrow someone or some group will call and offer space when the space at Boutwell can't be used," Lupo wrote.

The Sanders campaign said Tuesday they are not to blame for the warming station not opening.

"I knew last week that the city used the warming station upstairs, but not downstairs. We had no idea that the warming station would be closed. We were downstairs, they would be upstairs. That's what we knew," said Kelvin Datcher, state director for the Sanders campaign.

"There was never any conversation about the warming station. Not only did the senator not know, I didn't even know. They were relying on me to relay information up the chain. Had that been a concern, we absolutely would've acted on it," Datcher said.

"Unfortunately, no, we do not have an alternative location and were unable to have the warming station tonight," Birmingham city spokeswoman April Odom said Monday night.

"However, we are working with local area homeless shelters and the BPD to help anyone in need to get to a shelter."

Police, she said, were on the lookout for homeless people who might need a place to stay.

The auditorium may be open as a warming station Tuesday night if needed, Odom said.

to say i'm not a happy camper tonight would be one of those understatements that you hear about all the time -- we... Posted by Don Lupo on Monday, January 18, 2016

AL.com reporter Adam Ganucheau contributed to this report.