Power restored after bird causes outage for 15K customers in Richmond

This image shared by BC Hydro shows the area in Richmond where the power went out on Monday, July 22, 2024.

A brief but significant power outage in Richmond Monday afternoon was caused by a bird colliding with a wire, according to BC Hydro.

The utility posted on social media around 3:30 p.m., advising that thousands were without power and crews had been dispatched.

The impacted area is between Railway Avenue and No. 4 Road, from Granville Avenue south to Steveston Highway.

"We just learned this outage in Richmond is due to a bird making contact with our wires," a spokesperson said in an email to CTV News, confirming the cause.

"Our crews are working to have the affected customers back online as soon as possible and we thank everyone for their patience."

Power was restored to almost everyone by 5:15 p.m.