Power has been restored to a small number of customers in Nanaimo after a hydro pole fire caused an outage.
Nanaimo firefighters were called to the hydro pole fire on Victoria Crescent around 10 p.m. Thursday night.
Deputy Chief Stuart Kenning told CHEK News the pole was fully engulfed when crews arrived.
“It just burned up the telephone pole like a candle,” Kenning said. “We got there fast and we put it out.”
BC Hydro says the incident caused an outage for 10 customers in the area, which has since been restored.
The Nanaimo Association for Community Living (NACL), a non-profit agency supporting about 300 people with disabilities, told CHEK News it is still without power as its electrical power boxes were damaged in the fire.
“The fire department was putting out the fire and the water ran down the inside of the building through the electrical room and it looks like it fried the panel,” Graham Moury, NACL executive director, said.
Friday’s programs at the association have been cancelled. Programs might also be cancelled on Monday, depending how repair work goes.
Ted Olynyk, with BC Hydro, said the plastic around the hydro pole and the pole itself were completely burned, meaning the pole will need to be replaced.
“Firefighters suppressed the fire enough that there’s no need to replace the pole immediately. We are going to replace it, but it’s something we can do in a number of days,” Olynyk said.
Kenning said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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