B.C. Hydro linemen start repairs to a power transformer while an adjacent power pole in foreground continues burning after a short circuit sheared off the top shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, triggering a power outage for nearly 4,000 customers throughout the Hammond Bay and Departure Bay neighbourhoods.
Ted Olynyk, B.C. Hydro spokesman, said the incident might have been caused by flashover, a condition caused by debris buildup on the pole over an extended dry period that can become conductive when rainy weather returns.
