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Power outage caused by crow

A crow flew into a substation leading to a substantial power outage this morning

About 5,200 Terrace residents were without power this morning after a crow flew into a substation.

Power was out between 7 a.m. and 8:22 a.m. after a crow contacted live equipment in the Kalum Substation, causing a short circuit.

"Today’s incident is not a common occurrence," said BC Hydro spokesman Bob Gammer, noting the substation is protected.

"There are bird guards on circuit breaker equipment in the substation. Additionally, there is protective equipment to prevent, or minimize, damage to the key components in the substation," he said.

The Kalem substation is located near the intersection of Park Avenue and Brooks Street about 2 blocks north of Hwy 16.

A separate power outage earlier this month on Soucie Ave. was caused by a bird coming into contact with power wires.