It’s being called a very rare and “uniquely Canadian” disruption.
Residents of a rural B.C. town lost their internet this weekend after beavers chewed through a crucial fibre cable Saturday (April 24) at 4 a.m.
Internet, TV and cell phone service was down for 900 households in Tumbler Ridge, a northeastern municipality with a population of around 2,000.
A team of beavers that chewed through its fibre cable at multiple points, causing “extensive damage,” TELUS spokesperson Liz Sauvé told Black Press Media in an email.
WATCH: RCMP escort beaver across busy Chilliwack road (VIDEO)
Work crews dispatched to the area identified a creek from where it appears beavers dug to reach the underground cable, which was protected by a 4.5-inch thick conduit.
“It appears the beavers first chewed through the conduit before chewing through the cable,” Sauvé said. A photograph of the scene shows a hole, several feet deep and damaged cable ends.
Beavers used the chewed-off fibre to bolster their dam while technicians worked around the clock to repair the damage, Sauvé said.
Service was restored to the area Sunday at around 3:30 p.m.
READ MORE: Beaver waddles through downtown Vancouver (VIDEO)
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