London Hydro Power Outage Leaves Thousands Without Power in Heat Wave

A London Hydro power outage left thousands of homes and businesses without electricity in northwest London on Sunday afternoon, compounding the challenges of a heat wave that has gripped the city for days.

Outage Impacted Multiple Neighbourhoods

London Hydro says over 2,000 customers in Masonville, Medway, Sunningdale, Stoney Creek, and west London lost power for several hours. Earlier in the day, about 6,000 customers in Masonville, White Hills, and Orchard Park were also affected before service was restored.

The outage hit major commercial areas, including the Costco on Wonderland Road, which ran on backup generators to keep minimal lighting. Traffic lights in parts of northwest London were also out, causing long delays at intersections.

Cause Linked to Heat Wave and Supply Issues

London Hydro says the majority of the outage was caused by a Hydro One supply problem, with this weekend’s extreme heat also contributing to equipment malfunctions.

“The outages appear to be heat-related, causing equipment malfunction,” the utility said in a statement. “We’re working with Hydro One and attempting to isolate the affected areas to restore power to the majority of customers.”

Environment Canada’s heat warning for the London area remained in effect, with humidex values near 40°C expected through early this week. The Middlesex-London Health Unit issued its fifth extended heat alert of the summer, surpassing last year’s total.

Power Restored by Early Evening

London Hydro reported that most customers had their power back by 5 p.m., roughly four hours after the blackout began. By just after 6 p.m., fewer than 50 customers near Adelaide Street North and Fanshawe Park Road East were still without service.

Health Officials Urge Caution in Extreme Heat

Health officials are urging residents to check on vulnerable people, such as seniors and those living alone. They also advise limiting outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day.

“Extreme heat can affect everyone’s health,” Environment Canada said. “Know if you or others are at higher risk of heat illness and check on them several times a day.”

More…

• https://www.overheretoronto.com/heat-warnings-persist-across-southern-b-c-and-vancouver-island
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/power-restored-in-northwest-london-after-several-hours-of-widespread-outage-1.7605502
• https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-hydro-details-large-outage-amid-scorching-weather-heat-related