Faulty insulator to blame for Saturday’s power outage

Published 10:17 pm Monday, October 20, 2025

By Marisca Bakker

BC Hydro crews work to fix a faulty insulator on Oct. 18 that caused an unplanned power outage for 1,900 CB Hydro customers in the Bulkley Valley.
BC Hydro crews work to fix a faulty insulator on Oct. 18 that caused an unplanned power outage for 1,900 CB Hydro customers in the Bulkley Valley.

A faulty insulator is being blamed for a power outage that disrupted electricity to about 1,900 homes and businesses in the Telkwa and Smithers area for several hours on Saturday, Oct. 18.

“The faulty insulator burned a portion of the pole to which the crossarm was attached,” said BC Hydro spokesperson David Mosure.

Mosure explained the damage caused the circuit to trip, cutting service to 1,900 customers as of 10:55 a.m.

“A repair of this significance requires two full crews to accomplish safely,” he said. “The local contract crew we would usually call on was unavailable as they were out of the area on another trouble call. A BC Hydro line crew from Burns Lake was mobilized and permanent repairs were completed, with power restored by 5 p.m.”

You Might Like