B.C. Hydro working to restore electricity to 2,200
ABBOTSFORD — About 2,200 customers are still without power as crews worked to restore electricity after ice storms swept through the Fraser Valley.
For some B.C. residents, Monday was their fourth day without electricity, after freezing rain left thick layers of ice in the hardest hit areas of Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack.
B.C. Hydro spokeswoman Tanya Fish said 450 field workers have been working around the clock and have restored electricity for more than 159,000 customers since the first storm hit on Thursday.
Another storm came Friday, leaving the region coated in thick layers of ice, which snapped tree branches and downed power lines.
Some B.C. Hydro substations were also frozen solid, with sensitive equipment encased in ice.
Fish said crews finished repairs to the substations Saturday night — a task that required equipment such as propane torches to melt the ice.
She said efforts to restore power to the thousands of customers who were still in the dark Monday were being prioritized based on those who had been without electricity the longest.
Environment Canada said there is a risk of more showers in the area, which could turn to freezing rain tonight. Temperatures are expected to remain at the freezing mark before starting to rise on Wednesday.