What caused a power outage that left thousands of Fraser Valley residents in the dark Wednesday afternoon is under investigation by BC Hydro.
Approximately 56,800 homes and businesses were affected, most of which were in Chilliwack (43,000) and the rest in Hope (8,900) and Abbotsford (4,900). The outage lasted roughly two hours from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
BC Hydro originally thought the outage was caused by fault on one of its transmission lines but it now believes it was due to equipment in its substation that “operated in an abnormal way,” according to a spokesperson, who said the incident is being investigated.
The University of the Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford campus was affected and saw several classes cut short, with students streaming out of the campus’s buildings.
The Costco Wholesale store on Sumas Way was also among the affected buildings, with many shoppers forced to abandon their shopping.