The Pacific Rim Highway between Ucluelet and Tofino was closed Tuesday morning after a BC Hydro pole was destroyed by a tree near Landfill Road.
The tree fell around 7 a.m. taking one pole and 12 spans—the length of line from pole to pole—of Hydro lines down with it, according to Hydro spokesperson Karla Louwers.
The event cut off power to about 2,000 Hydro customers in the Tofino and Long Beach area but Hydro crews hope to have power fully restored by 3 p.m. today.
“When you have that much line down there’s a lot of repair that has to happen before power can be restored,†Louwers said. “This definitely isn’t common.â€
The pole will be replaced and the spans of line will be replaced or repaired said Louwers who could not give a cost estimate for the damage.
She said a Hydro crew from Ucluelet arrived on scene shortly after 7 a.m. followed by two crews from Port Alberni.
A tree crew was also called in to clear the fallen tree from the highway, which is expected to re-open for single lane traffic around noon.
reporter@westerlynews.ca