Campbell River RCMP are looking for witnesses to an incident in which someone attempted to operate an unattended excavator, causing a power outage and damage to a utility pole and power line.
“Somebody managed to get into one of the excavators and start it up. Whether they actually knew what they were doing or not — that’s another story,” said Const. Maury Tyre of Campbell River RCMP.
The incident occurred overnight from July 2 to 3 on Highway 19 about 40 minutes north of Campbell River.
B.C. Hydro received reports of power being out in homes about 3 a.m. July 3, said Ted Olynyk, community relations manager for the B.C. Hydro.
A utility pole was damaged, and a power line came down in the incident. The power outage affected about 600 people before power was restored around 1 p.m. the same day. Olynyk said damage was estimated at about $4,000.
Tyre said the remote location of the incident makes it difficult to identify a suspect without help from witnesses. “If they were driving by in the middle of the night and they saw the equipment being operated, maybe they saw another vehicle there,” he said.
The RCMP is asking anyone with information about the incident to call 250-286-6221.
