Over 1,600 BC Hydro Customers were left without power on Sunday night after a line was knocked down.
Rick Prasad, Kimberley’s Fire Chief, said it was likely caused by malfunctioning equipment.
“There had been some concerned citizens that a high-voltage power line that was arcing,” said Prasad. “We attended to find that an insulator had probably burned through, and there was quite a bit of arcing and sparking going on.”
The fallen line caused a fire in the nearby grass, but firefighters were able to get it under control quickly.
“Conditions were really good, we’re glad we did;t have this in the summertime when we had those extended drought conditions,” said Prasad. “Based on cooler weather and the rain, we were able to head home after a few hours of monitoring the situation and making sure people were isolated from the power line.”
According to BC Hydro, power was knocked out just after 9 p.m. to about 1,618 customers throughout the community.
Crews on the scene were able to restore power by 1:30 a.m.