Power returns to downtown Calgary at 5 A.M.

CALGARY – Bright and early Thursday, before the sun is up, downtown buildings and apartments will be buzzing again with electricity – the first time since Saturday.

That’s when a underground fire sparked in the area of 8th Street and 5th Avenue S.W., severely damaging electrical and fibre optic cables.

Power is expected to be restored to thousands of residents and businesses by 5 A.M. Thursday morning.

The city wants to have the system back up and running before the morning rush.

The Mayor warned it could be a little while before all the glitches are worked out.

Residents are being urged to make sure all their appliances and electronics are unplugged before the power is restored to prevent any further emergencies.

Buildings must be inspected for safety systems and parkade ventilation. Water systems will be powered up following those procedures.

The city warns, things like hot water may take some time.

Building operators and business owners will then have to make sure doors and elevators are working and that the area is safe.

Last weekend city officials said it could take until Saturday for the power to be restored.

“People worked damn hard and were very ingenuitive in the work they were doing. So one of the things I know… is that the Enmax engineers over the thanksgiving long weekend not only figured out how to rebuild it, but figured out how to rebuild it better and stronger, and with a better design,” says Calgary’s mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People worked damn hard and were very ingenuitive in the work they were doing. So one of the things I know… is that the Enmax engineers over the thanksgiving long weekend not only figured out how to rebuild it, but figured out how to rebuild it better and stronger, and with a better design<b>," </b>says Calgary's mayor Naheed Nenshi.

The City says any residents staying in a provided hotel need to check out Thursday morning.

A bus will be provided at each hotel at 9:30 A.M., leaving at 9:45 A.M. to Mewata Armoury where residents can check the status of re-energization for their buildings.

The city also says when power is restored, it is very possible that the fire alarm may sound. If that occurs, in any building, it should be treated as a real emergency. Building evacuation procedures apply.

While the power problem may be solved, the investigation into what caused the fire is far from over.

Enmax expects it could be more than a month before we know what triggered the blowout.

The following road closures will continue until the work to re-energize the affected buildings has been completed and rebuilding of infrastructure completed:

• One northbound lane closed on 8^th Street between 5^th Ave and 4^th Ave SW
• One northbound lane closed on 8^th Street between 7^th Ave and 6^th Ave SW
• Two northbound lanes closed on 8^th Street between 6^th Ave and 5^th Ave SW (with two-way traffic in effect)