BC Hydro-owned poles that were damaged by wildfire in the 亚洲天堂 Lake area will be replaced at no cost to the customers, according to BC Hydro.
However, the company says the replacement of customer-owned poles such as meter poles and privately-owned power lines is the customer鈥檚 responsibility.
鈥淭he configuration of power lines is not always the same,鈥� explained Bob Gammer, a BC Hydro spokesperson. 鈥淪ome power lines on private property are owned by BC Hydro; if those are damaged by wildfire, we will replace them at our cost.鈥�
A BC Hydro employee answered questions from residents who needed more information about their bills and reconnection at the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako鈥檚 Recovery and Resiliency Centre, which was held in Grassy Plains last week.
BC Hydro allows for connection at no cost for customers whose homes and service connection were destroyed by wildfire, according to Gammer. However, the customer may need to engage an electrician at their cost to rebuild the connection point.
BC Hydro will apply an automatic credit to the account of residential and commercial customers located in evacuation areas for the electricity consumed during the period they were evacuated.
READ MORE: BC Hydro to credit customers evacuated because of wildfires
鈥淭he last thing people are thinking about when they are being evacuated is turning off lights, appliances and electronics,鈥� said BC Hydro in a press release last month. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we will apply a credit to their bills for the electricity used while they were evacuated from their homes.鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to call us to tell us about your evacuation; the credit will be automatically applied to your next bill.鈥�
In addition, BC Hydro has been offering flexible payment arrangements for customers under evacuation alerts.
Gammer added that BC Hydro crews were dispatched to wildfire-affected areas south of 亚洲天堂 Lake as soon as the BC Wildfire Service indicated it was safe for them to assess the damage to their system. Vegetation management crews then went in to remove danger trees, and with those hazards cleared away, line crews started rebuilding the lines.
Nearly 140 power poles, 35 spans of power line and six transformers were replaced as over 50 personnel worked multiple long days to rebuild the grid in the area.
The last of the properties to be restored had power on Sept. 13.
For more information or to make arrangements for your account, contact BC Hydro at 1-800-224-9376.
