A large vacuum truck struck a power pole in Chemainus early Monday morning, knocking out power to about 5,000 people in the Ladysmith and Chemainus areas for several hours.
The impact caused the power lines to fall down over the truck.
“Two occupants were trapped inside until BC Hydro could attend and secure the lines out of precaution,” noted Alex Berube, RCMP media relations spokesman. “There were no injuries.”
The vehicle with a raised boom made contact with an overhead guy wire and a pole was broken at around 12:30 a.m., according to Karla Louwers, BC Hydro public affairs coordinator.
“BC Hydro crews attended the scene, first focusing on making it safe by deenergizing the power lines, then beginning repairs that included replacing the broken pole and reattaching the power lines,” she added.
“Crews were able to restore power to most of the customers by approximately 6 a.m., but 339 customers remained without power until approximately noon when final repairs and restoration were complete.”
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP and members of the North Cowichan Fire Department’s Chemainus Hall also responded to the scene on the Trans-Canada Highway near Panorama Ridge Road in Chemainus.
