Heavy winds on Friday night brought down trees, damaged infrastructure and left about 23,000 customers without power in Prince George and the surrounding Central Interior, with some roads closed.
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Strong wind gusts recorded at more than 100 km/h affected Prince George, B.C., and the wider Central Interior on Friday night, prompting crews to respond to downed trees, power line damage and road closures.
B.C. Hydro reported outages affecting about 23,000 customers across the region, including 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Vanderhoof. At one point, about one-third of the city of Prince George was without power, according to B.C. Hydro.
Environment Canada data showed wind gusts of between 94 and 102 km/h between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time, with sustained wind speeds of 41 to 61 km/h.
Social media photos showed damage that included trees on homes, and in one case a traffic light knocked from its location.
In rural neighbourhoods, volunteer firefighting groups urged residents to stay inside while responding to multiple emergencies, including small fires sparked by damaged power lines. The District of Vanderhoof warned people to stay clear of fallen power lines and to treat any downed lines as live.
B.C. Hydro asked people to stay at least 10 metres away from any downed or sagging power lines and to report them by calling 911 as crews worked to clear debris and restore service under challenging conditions.
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