Update: Power has been restored in the 1800 block of Mathers Avenue area in West Vancouver as of 4 p.m., according to BC Hydro. The power is still out south of Highway 99 and west of Aspen Drive.
Original story:
North Shore residents are feeling the chilling effects of Metro Vancouver's first major snowfall of the season Sunday as power outages hit more than 1,000 West Vancouver homes.
A large tree branch laden with snow snapped down onto a power line in the 1800 block of Mathers Avenue in West Vancouver causing a power outage affecting 1,227 BC Hydro customers Sunday afternoon.
The power went out just past noon Sunday, and BC Hydro crews came to the scene at 12:30 p.m., said BC Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott.
Crews are currently on the scene removing the tree branch from the line, and are hoping to have the power restored by around 4 p.m.
"With the snow in the forecast today, it's something that we've been monitoring very closely and preparing for," Scott said. "We do have a number of BC Hydro crews and contractor crews out there working today. I think that's probably one of the reasons why we were able to be so quick to respond."
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue was also called and remained on the scene until BC Hydro came for public safety. They left the scene around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. No injuries were reported, said Junior Harvey, assistant chief in operation for West Vancouver Fire and Rescue.
"There was a limb coming off that tree that was about eight inches in diameter, that was leaning over because of snow load. Eventually the snow was too heavy, and it broke the limb and took the water line down," said Harvey.
Harvey says trees or branches falling from the weight of snow are very common.
"We had so much extreme weather when you think about it for the past [few] months, let alone years," Harvey said. "So you get lots of wind and snow storms and heavy weight, and trees are probably getting pretty damaged. They get fatigued from all weather I'm assuming."
But this isn't the only power outage in the area. Just over 1,000 West Vancouver residents south of Highway 99 and west of Aspen Drive are also experiencing power outages since 11 a.m. Sunday.
The cause is still under investigation, but BC Hydro thinks it may be another fallen tree in the area.
Across the Lower Mainland, BC Hydro is seeing about 3,500 customers impacted by outages, which is relatively low in a storm event, Scott said.
If someone does come across a downed line that is an emergency situation, a person should stay at least 10 metres back, or the length of a bus, and call 911, Scott said.
People can head to BC Hydro's outage map for updates in the area.
