An electrical short circuit caused by water getting in to a control room at BC Hydro’s Capilano substation resulted in a massive swath of North Vancouver losing power Thursday morning.
Power went out for about 12,000 customers at about 11:15 a.m. Thursday morning.
Brian Hutchinson, assistant fire chief with District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, said fire crews were called to the substation at 2699 Pemberton Ave. by BC Hydro staff who reported “a large amount of smoke” coming from the building.
Moira Scott, spokeswoman for BC Hydro, said crews were working on the roof of the substation when something went wrong, which resulted in rainwater getting in to the electrical control room, resulting in the smoky short-circuit.
Large areas west of Lonsdale Avenue right over to Capilano Road, including Edgemont, Capilano, Westview and Pemberton Heights were affected by the power outage.
Even the District of North Vancouver municipal hall was running off generators, said spokeswoman Stephanie Smiley.
Staff advised anyone planning a visit to municipal hall on Thursday to call ahead, as some services aren’t available during the power outage.
Several schools also lost power following the short-circuit.
Carson Graham and Handsworth high schools will dismiss students early, said Deneka Michaud, spokeswoman for the school district.
By 2 p.m. Thursday, power also remained out at Canyon Heights, Larson and Montroyal elementaries, but schools were expected to remain in session until the usual dismissal time. Power had been restored to Braemar, Cleveland, Highlands and Westview elementaries, and Mountainside secondary.
Moira Scott, spokeswoman for BC Hydro, said crews are working to re-route electrical feeder lines to other hydro substations and get power on as soon as possible. About 4,500 customers had their power restored by about 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
