Power outages affect thousands across GTA
Thousands of customers in Toronto, Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill are without power due to hydro pole fires.

thestar.com
March 14, 2015
By Jackie Hong

Thousands in the Toronto area endured a Saturday without power as hydro-pole fires wreaked large-scale outages across the region, utility firms said.

There were still pockets in the dark late Saturday night as crews worked to restore power.

Toronto Hydro reported 4,000 customers still without power. PowerStream Inc., which services the York region, said there were 4,700 in Vaughan without power, 300 in Richmond Hill and 14 in Markham.

At the peak of the outages, 25,000 customers in Vaughan, 3,100 in Markham and 5,000 in Richmond Hill were without electricity, PowerStream said.

Toronto Hydro said there were about 5,000 affected at the outage’s peak.

Those affected are scattered across the city, the firm said, though there were at one point 1,500 customers in North York in the dark due to “weather-related” causes. There is no immediate word on when power will be restored.

PowerStream said it is aiming to restore power by 12 a.m., though it had already extended its deadline twice from the earlier one of 8 p.m.

Around 2,500 customers were also without electricity in Penetanguishene but power was restored Saturday afternoon.

Hydro pole fires are caused by salt water conducting electricity into the wooden part of the pole, which then catches fire. The same phenomenon knocked out power to 87,000 Toronto Hydro customers earlier this month.