EDMONTON -- Strong winds are being blamed for cutting power to thousands in and around Edmonton Tuesday night.
Fortis Alberta told CTV News that around 16,000 customers were experiencing power outages. The majority of affected customers are to the east, southeast and west of Edmonton.
“Our crews will continue to make repairs and restore power as it is safe to do so but we ask that customers be prepared for possible overnight outages in some cases where they cannot safely perform their work due to reduced visibility and snow squalls,” said Alana Antonelli, with FortisAlberta.
EPCOR reported 5,000 customers affected across the city as of 9 p.m.
“That number is actively fluctuating as our crews restore power to some areas and other outages are reported,” said Keltie Denton, external communications manager with EPCOR.
Around 2,000 FortisAlberta customers in Spruce Grove were also without power around 9 p.m., according to Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston on Facebook.
If you come across a downed power line, EPCOR advised people to call 911 or Power Trouble at 780-412-4500. If a power line comes down on your vehicle, you are advised to call 911 immediately.
In a Facebook post, the City of Edmonton advised citizens to “avoid non-essential travel if possible.”
Power outages can be tracked on the EPCOR and FortisAlberta websites.
