Thousands of customers lose power across region

TORONTO -- Thousands of customers are without power across the Greater Toronto Area on Saturday and it could be hours before the lights come back on.

Hydro crews are working to restore electricity to customers in Vaughan, North York, Uxbridge, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

More than 27,000 are still without power, but officials say it should be back by around 6 p.m.

A spokeswoman for Hydro One attributed the problem to the buildup of road salt on hydro poles.

Ontario energy company Power Stream Inc. tweeted that there are 14 pole fires throughout Vaughan alone, where 24,000 customers are affected.

Traffic lights are out across Vaughan and police are reminding the public to treat those intersections as four-way stops.