BC Hydro crews have been busy with power restoration work on the Southside, which has been greatly affected by this summer’s wildfire season.
According to Bob Gammer, a spokesperson for BC Hydro, over 30 personnel are currently in the area working up to 16-hour days to replace fire damaged power poles and lines, transformers and related equipment.
On Sunday, crews completed rebuilding the line on Eakin Settlement Road as far as the junction with Cheslatta Road, restoring about 30 of the 170 customers who had lost power due to the fires. On Tuesday, crews energized another 100 properties, leaving only about 40 customers on Cheslatta Road and Spud Lake Road and one customer on Shelford Road remaining without power.
“Barring unforeseen issues, it is hoped that power on these last few roads will be restored by late Thursday, or sometime on Friday this week,” said Gammer.
BC Hydro won’t be billing customers who have been evacuated due to wildfires across the province. Instead, they’ll receive a credit to their account for electricity consumed during the period the customer is out of the home or business due to an evacuation order.
The crown corporation has been working with local authorities to identify residential and commercial customers located in evacuation areas to automatically apply a credit.
And for those customers that have lost their homes due to the wildfires, BC Hydro will waive all charges from their last bill, including any charges for electricity used prior to the wildfire.
READ MORE: BC Hydro to credit customers evacuated because of wildfires
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