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Winter brings power outages

Burns Lake residents lost power for up to 10.5 hours.

Heavy winds and wet snow last week contributed to a large swathe of power outages between Fraser Lake and Houston.

According to BC Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer, on Jan. 2, 2013, approximately 900 customers between Endako and just west of Burns Lake were without power for anywhere from three to 10.5 hours due to a windstorm.

More than 1800 customers in Fraser Lake were without power for about 30 minutes on the afternoon of Jan. 3 due to heavy snow. Approximately 30 customers in the area remained without power until early morning on Jan. 5.

Houston had a brief power interruption as well when 41 customers lost power for approximately one and a half to three hours last Thursday evening.

The isolated community of Takla Landing, north of Babine Lake, was without power from late afternoon on Jan. 1 until late in the day Jan. 3. The community is served by a single transmission line that travels through remote wilderness. Ground crews were unable to locate the cause of the power outage.

A helicopter survey of the line got underway last Friday morning when weather conditions finally improved enough for safe flight. BC Hydro crews located several trees which had fallen on the lines, and by Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. power was restored to Takla Landing.