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Just a phase

BC Power outage in Fort St. James attributed to wind or wildlife

Yesterday's power outage which had around 2,200 homes out of power for most of the day is being attributed to a "phase to phase fault" according to BC Hydro.

In locations where there are three lines at the top of the poles, if high wind or a bird contact allows for the formation of a contact between two of the lines, a fault can cause a power outage.

BC Hydro said crews did patrol the line and found nothing and then unsuccessfully attempted to restore power around noon.

When this attempt failed, crews again patrolled the lines and still did not find the cause of the problem.

However, when the lines were re-energized around 2:45 p.m., the power remained on, and so BC Hydro has chalked up the problem to a phase-to-phase fault.