BC Hydro crews are conducting preliminary restoration work and continuing damage assessments in areas hit by the Big Bar Complex and Brunswick Complex wildfires, according to the news release.
According to the news release, about 1,100 customers remain without power in the Big Bar Complex area, where crews have found significant damage to electricity infrastructure, including roughly 230 distribution poles and 200 transmission poles. The damage spans Clinton, 70 Mile House, portions of the Cache Creek area, Big Bar Lake and the Highway 97 corridor between 70 Mile House and Loon Lake south of Clinton.
Crews have started civil work, access preparation and material staging in the area, but active wildfire conditions are keeping them from fully assessing all affected infrastructure, according to the news release. With fire activity ongoing, BC Hydro warns the damage could grow before it’s contained.
The scale of destruction means crews face rebuilding large sections of infrastructure rather than fixing isolated outages. BC Hydro’s preliminary estimate puts Clinton back online within about two weeks, provided crews can safely access the area and wildfire conditions don’t worsen significantly.
In the Brunswick Complex area, about 100 customers are without power across Boston Bar, Hell’s Gate, China Bar, North End and nearby communities. Damage assessments have turned up approximately 34 damaged transmission and distribution poles on the west side of the Fraser River, plus five more distribution poles needing replacement near Ainslie Creek on the east side, according to the news release.
Wildfire activity has limited crews’ access to the area, but restoration work is set to begin this week. BC Hydro plans to start work affecting about 100 customers on July 30, followed by work for the remaining customers on July 31.
BC Hydro says its electricity system remains stable despite wildfire activity across several regions of the province. Crews are also helping BC Wildfire Service operations by clearing roads, removing hazardous trees and improving access routes for first responders.
BC Hydro is urging customers to prepare for wildfire-related emergencies and extended outages with a household emergency plan, a grab-and-go kit and accessible emergency contacts. Customers evacuated for five days or longer may qualify for an automatic bill credit covering electricity used during that period.
