Pole fires caused by wet weather trigger power outages across Edmonton

Thousands of homes and businesses across Edmonton were left in the dreary, rainy dark at some point Tuesday because of power outages caused by power poles catching on fire.

One might not think wet weather would trigger fires, but that’s exactly what happened Tuesday in neighbourhoods across Edmonton.

Thousands of homes and businesses were left in the dreary, rainy dark at some point because of power outages caused by power poles catching on fire.

“Pole fires are common after a period without much rain or moisture,” an EPCOR spokesperson said in a statement.

The City of Edmonton-owned utility company said this can result in the buildup of debris like sand or dirt on power pole insulators, which hold power lines on the cross arms of power poles.

“If weather brings a mist, rain or snow, moisture can coat the insulator and mix with the debris, creating a path for electrical current around the insulator and directly onto the power pole.

As of around 4:30 Tuesday, EPCOR said crews had responded to five such pole fires.

At one point in the early afternoon, EPCOR reported several thousand properties were affected in the city’s northeast.

Some of the area affected on the north side included Belvedere, Clareview Town Centre, Kennedale Industrial, Glengarry and Killarney.