Anyone looking at a transformer on the morning of Sept. 23 may have got more than meets the eye.
A "massive yellow light like lightning" cracked the air, according to onlooker Patricia Webster, who reported seeing black smoke.
Fire crews arrived on the scene to discover a transformer at the Telus building on Eighth Street had arced, causing a brief power outage. There was no damage, according to City of North Vancouver fire chief Dan Pistilli.
The crew had a short commute to the Telus building, as firefighters had been tending to a gas leak around the corner.
City workers doing water main work unearthed an old gas line. After detecting the leak, firefighters evacuated four residents from a nearby townhouse until the gas line could be turned off and safely reconnected. The residents were back in their townhouse within the hour, according to Pistilli.
