WINNIPEG – Thousands of downtown Winnipeg residents spent most of Sunday evening without electricity due to a major power outage that began with an explosion at a Manitoba Hydro substation on Edmonton street.
Power wasn’t fully restored until about midnight when the utility announced via Twitter, “Edmonton station re-energized and all customers in downtown #Winnipeg have had power restored. Thanks for being patient!”
Several traffic lights at multiple intersections were down late Sunday afternoon into the evening hours including most of Broadway, York, and St. Mary’s. Drivers were asked by the Winnipeg Police Service to avoid the areas if possible.
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The Winnipeg Remand Centre and Winnipeg Convention Centre were both without electricity as well as several nearby high rise apartments and restaurants.
“Having been downtown for the last 22 years, this is exceptionally rare.” Said Sachit Mehra with East Indian Company Restaurant on York Avenue, who added he could not accept customers into his dining room if it was dark.
Multiple people became stuck in elevators due to the outage. A dispatcher for Winnipeg Elevator says calls were coming in as of 8:00 p.m. Sunday.
“We were dealing with all kinds of alarms throughout the downtown area.” Said Platoon Chief Doug Hansen with Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Services (WFPS).
Fire crews were originally called to a Manitoba Hydro substation on Edmonton Street where fire officials said there was an explosion late Sunday afternoon. WFPS crews were called to extinguish heavy black smoke on the second floor of the building and subsequently ventilate it. Crews also taped off a large area of Edmonton St. when toxins were detected in the air.
“There’s asbestos in that building and we didn’t know how much was released into the atmosphere.” Said Hansen.
Hydro officials tell Global News there was an “equipment problem” and approximately 4,000 customers were affected. By 9:10 p.m. Sunday, a Hydro official told Global News that 2,100 customers were back on-line and he hoped to have the remaining 1,900 customers online as soon as possible.
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