Updated story, July 30 at 4 p.m.:
FortisBC crews have made progress on repairs and expect to restore power to all affected customers by 5 p.m.
The utility said crews are completing a temporary repair to the damaged infrastructure. A permanent repair is scheduled for Friday morning and will require another planned power outage.
Original story, July 30 at 3 p.m.:
A motor vehicle crash has left hundreds of FortisBC customers without electricity in Slocan and as far south as Appedale.
FortisBC said about 922 customers are affected after crews manually shut off breakers supplying power to the area as a safety precaution following the crash. No details of the incident were immediately available.
The first outage began at 12:22 p.m., with a second outage occurring around 1 p.m.
Fortis said the crash damaged electrical infrastructure, requiring crews to turn off the system while repairs are completed.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to restore power safely and as quickly as possible,” said Fortis in an emailed statement.
The utility is expected to provide another update on the situation at about 4 p.m.
It also reminds public to stay at least 10 metres away from any downed power lines, or about the length of a school bus.
Anyone involved in a vehicle collision involving power poles or electrical wires is advised to remain inside their vehicle, call 911 and wait until FortisBC crews confirm the power has been isolated.
Customers can find the latest restoration updates on FortisBC’s outage map or report outages and downed power lines by calling the utility’s outage line.
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