Thousands left without power across Saanich Peninsula after trees bring down power lines

Saanich Peninsula Power Outages: Thousands Affected as BC Hydro Crews Respond to Fallen Trees.

More than 8,000 BC Hydro customers were left in the dark Friday after a series of power outages swept across the Saanich Peninsula and parts of Greater Victoria, following reports of trees coming down on hydro lines.

BC Hydro says the outages began around 2:29 p.m. and quickly spread across multiple areas, including North Saanich, Central Saanich and Sidney. The utility is currently reporting six separate outages affecting about 8,291 customers in total.

The largest disruptions are centred in North Saanich and Sidney, where more than 7,000 customers are impacted across four outage zones. Another outage in Central Saanich and North Saanich is affecting just over 1,200 customers.

According to BC Hydro, the cause in several of the outages is being attributed to trees falling onto power lines. Crews have been dispatched and are currently on scene working to clear debris and assess damage.

No estimated time of restoration has been confirmed for the larger outages as of late Friday afternoon.

In Greater Victoria, a small planned outage in the Fairfield area is also affecting a handful of customers while crews carry out equipment work. That outage is expected to be restored later in the day.

Residents in affected areas are being urged to stay clear of any downed power lines and to report outages if they are not already listed on BC Hydro’s system.

Customers can monitor updates or report outages directly through BC Hydro’s outage reporting system or by calling 1-800-BC HYDRO.