Authorities are investigating a theft of telecommunications wiring that caused another Telus outage in northern B.C. over the weekend, affecting 911 service across several communities. The incident marked the second such incident to strike the province’s north this year. The RCMP said the latest theft happened around 1 p.m. Sunday near the village of Fraser Lake, along Louisville Road. “The damage resulted in an interruption of numerous Telus services in the area, including access to 911 emergency services for a period of time,” Fraser Lake RCMP said in a news release Tuesday. “Preliminary estimates place the cost of the damage and repairs at approximately $20,000.” E-Comm, which employes 911 most call-takers in the province, said the outage affected both cellphone and landline service in several communities, including Terrace, Prince Rupert, Smithers and Kitimat—and lasted around 12 hours. Telus had activated a “fallback system” in the meantime allowing customers to reach 911 through alternative carriers, E-Comm said in a social media statement Sunday. Those unable to reach 911 were advised to visit a local police, fire or ambulance station in person. CTV News—which is owned by Bell Media, a division of telecommunications company BCE—has reached out to Telus for more information. Fraser Lake RCMP said authorities are still investigating the latest theft, and asked anyone who saw “suspicious activity” in the area to come forward. Back in May, a similar outage was blamed on thieves cutting through Telus fibre lines while attempting to steal copper cables. Health officials said that incident also impacted 21 health-care facilities across the province’s north, in Burns Lake, Hazelton, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert and Masset.
