Image credit: BC Hydro

By Aaron Schulze

Shuswap Power Outage

UPDATE: Power restored, Trans-Canada Highway reopens after crash east of Salmon Arm

Jan 10, 2025 | 10:03 AM

UPDATE (4:45 p.m.): The Trans-Canada Highway east of Salmon Arm has reopened in both directions after a crash earlier this morning.

DriveBC says while the road has reopened, there will be minor delays Saturday (Jan. 11) so crews can complete vehicle recovery work. That work is expected to begin at 9:00 a.m. and last until 9:00 p.m.

Drivers are being told to watch for traffic control personnel between Canoe Beach Drive NE and Bernie Road.

BC Hydro also says power has been restored to all the roughly 4,000 residents in the area who were in the dark since about 9:00 a.m. Friday.

UPDATE (3:30 p.m.): The Trans-Canada Highway is currently expected to reopen around 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon (Jan. 10).

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The highway is still closed in both directions east of Salmon Arm after a crash earlier this morning.

Drive BC also says there will be minor delays Saturday to allow vehicle recovery work to take place, starting around 9:00 a.m. That work is expected to take 12 hours to complete.

A number of residents remain without power in part of the province, with BC Hydro expecting the power to be restored this hour.

UPDATE (11:00 a.m.): BC Hydro says power is expected to be restored at 4:00 p.m.

ORIGINAL: SICAMOUS, B.C. — Multiple power outages are affecting thousands of residents in the Shuswap, including the District of Sicamous.

According to BC Hydro’s outage map online, five outages knocked out power for 4,392 customers at around 9:00 a.m. Friday (Jan. 10). The outages cover Annis Bay to the west, Swansea Point to the south, Taft to the north and the Three Valley Gap area to the east.

The outages are being credited to transmission circuit failures.

Elsewhere, at around 9:25 a.m. Friday, DriveBC reported of downed hydro equipment on Highway 1 east of Salmon Arm due to a vehicle incident. Photos posted to social media show a semi-truck that had struck a power pole.

BC Hydro says crews have been assigned to the outages. There’s no estimated time for power to be restored.

Image credit: Skilled Truckers Canada