UPDATE: Repairs to fix a major power outage in Kelowna have now been completed. A FortisBC spokesperson said power has been restored. The cause of the roughly two hour outage is being blamed on a helium balloon.
“A balloon got up into the lines and caused a malfunction, which led to the outage,” said Scott Neufeld, a corporate communications advisor with FortisBC. “A balloon can short-circuit the electrical system.”
ORIGINAL: More than 2,700 Fortis B.C. customers in Kelowna lost power on Sunday.
The power outage happened at 10:18 a.m.
The power company said the outage affected a large portion of the city east of Pandosy Street to the western portion of Burtch Road and south of Highway 97 to KLO Road.
A Fortis B.C. spokesperson told Global News the source of the outage was being investigated before any repairs could happen.
It’s not known when power may be restored.
The outage came as many people were set to start preparing their Thanksgiving dinners.
The power outage affected a total of 2,766 customers.
More to come…