Power restored to thousands in B.C.’s East Kootenay region after wildfire-related outages

The Wait Creek fire sparked on August 1, 2026 and was quickly classified as a wildfire of note by officials, prompting evacuation orders and alerts in nearby communities. (B.C. Wildfire Service)

Power has been restored to the vast majority of customers who experienced wildfire-related outages in the East Kootenay region, according to BC Hydro.

At its peak, the outage impacted 23,000 customers the communities of Radium Hot Springs, Fairmont Hot Springs, Athalmer, Golden, Invermere, Canal Flats, and Parsons—all of which lost power at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

As of Monday morning, fewer than 200 customers on Golden remained without power.

“Our crews are prepared to respond quickly to any issues that arise and will continue working until power has been restored to all customers who can be safely reconnected,” an online update from BC Hydro said.