FortisBC and a utility arborist team are on the scene at Big White to restore power to the area after a tree fell on hydro lines.
According to Nicole Brown with FortisBC, restoring the power is a delicate and challenging process to do safely because of the considerable tension on the line.
“We have a new pole onsite and ready to be installed once the tree is clear. Once the new structure is in place, crews will attach the power lines, test the system and restore power. With many trees in the area heavily loaded with snow and ice, we will also patrol the lines and clear any additional compromised trees in the area,” she said.
The road is open to single-lane alternating traffic.
Service Alert: Crews continue to carefully remove the tree from the line and work to restore power to #BigWhite. Road is open to single-lane traffic. Updates at https://t.co/ed31uWv2rz. pic.twitter.com/ZbfYFJOfcL
— FortisBC (@FortisBC) January 20, 2023
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A tree falling onto a hydro pole caused a major power outage at Big White on Jan. 20.
Senior Vice President Michael J. Ballingall told Capital News that power is expected to be out until around 10p.m., though backup generators are keeping many of the village and resort’s facilities available.
The Snow Ghost, Powder Chair, Bullet Express, T-Bar, Lara’s Gondola, Gem Lake Express are all still spinning, though night skiing, tubing and skating will not be available this evening.
Using generators instead of regular power to run the lifts means the lifts are running slower than normal.
Long lines are shown on Jan. 19 at Big White as lifts run on backup generators. (Submitted)
All lifts will be closed at 3:30p.m.
Power has been out since approximately 8:20a.m. FortisBC is reporting that approximately 2,000 customers are affected by the outage.
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@JakeC_16
Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com
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