SaskPower battling dry conditions as it continues to cause meter fires in Regina

Shifting ground has caused two more meter boxes to catch fire in Regina.

Including these two fires, there have been five cases of boxes catching on fire. SaskPower has checked over 400 residential meter boxes since Friday.

READ MORE: Dry conditions in Regina cause meter fires

They are focusing on the Normanview, Uplands and Glencairn neighbourhoods, where there are numerous homes built in the 60s and 70s, when copper wire was used in the meter boxes, which causes more risk of fire. Newer boxes use aluminum wires and will cause a power outage when the ground shifts, pulling the wires.

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SaskPower is urging residents to call them if they have concerns about their meter box.

“The wires are being pulled out and that is where we might see some electricity traveling from the wire to the house. So there may be a bit of fire there behind the box and travels into the box as well, so that is what we are seeing in older homes (from the) 60s and 70s that (have) a different kind of wire used in there,” SaskPower’s Johnathan Tremblay said.

Despite SaskPower’s efforts, the NDP is saying the Sask. Party is putting politics ahead of public safety when it comes to meter fires.

“I think the important thing here, is we know the reason why, but the question is what is being done about it and that is something I think the government needs to reassure people of Saskatchewan that the appropriate responses are being put in place,” Cathy Sproule, NDP SaskPower Critic said.

Tremblay says there have been two cases in Kindersley and one in Wolseley where dry conditions pulled wires down on residential meters, causing an outage.