UPDATE: Gas service restored to nearly all affected properties

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The outage occurred Wednesday night and saw service cut off for roughly 6,200 properties.

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The cause of the outage remained under investigation as of time of publication.

UPDATE 11 a.m. Sunday

Gas service has been restored to nearly all the customers affected by the outage Wednesday.

FortisBC said approximately 5,200 properties in Lake Country and North Kelowna had their service restored as of Sunday morning.

Work was continuing through the day to turn the gas meters back on, relight appliances, and restore service to the remaining 1,000 properties Sunday.

“When a technician arrives, if you are home, they will turn your gas back on at the meter and relight your appliances for you,” FortisBC said.

“If you are not home, a door tag will be left with instructions on how to request a return visit. For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work.”

UPDATE 6:30 p.m. Saturday

The majority of properties affected by the gas outage have had their service restored.

Gas service went out Wednesday night to approximately 6,200 residences and businesses, but FortisBC said service was restored to 4,300 customers by Saturday afternoon.

Work would continue to 10 p.m. Saturday and resume Sunday morning to restore service to the remaining properties.

UPDATE 9:30 a.m. Saturday

Nearly half the properties affected by the gas outage Wednesday night have had service restored.

FortisBC said it had turned meters back on and relit appliances at 2,900 affected businesses and residences as of Saturday morning.

There were still around 3,300 properties without gas service as of time of the update, with the utility provider saying its technicians would be working until 10 p.m. Saturday, visiting those properties and restoring their service. Technicians would also be working Sunday to continue the work.

“When a technician arrives, if you are home, they will turn your gas back on at the meter and relight your appliances for you,” Fortis said

“If you are not home, a door tag will be left with instructions on how to request a return visit. For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work.”

The cause of the outage was still not known as of Saturday morning.

UPDATE 6 p.m. Friday

Another 700 properties had their gas restored Friday afternoon.

FortisBC said a total of roughly 1,700 customers had their service restored Friday as technicians were tasked with revisiting properties to turn their meters back on and relight appliances.

The utility provider said it would be continuing to visit the remaining 4,500 residences and businesses in Lake Country and North Kelowna to restore gas service until 10 p.m. Friday, and then would resume work at 7 a.m. Saturday.

If no one is home, crews will leave a tag on the door informing people on how to contact Fortis and arrange to have their gas turned back on.

“For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work,” Fortis said in its release, while adding people should be safe while their gas service is still out.

“Never use outdoor equipment indoors, including natural gas or propane heating systems. For important safety information, visit fortisbc.com/safety.

“If anyone smells rotten eggs or hears the sound of escaping gas inside their home, they should stop what they are doing, go outside and call 911 or FortisBC’s 24‑hour emergency line at 1-800-663-9911.”

Fortis said it would be continuing work to restore power to affected residents through the weekend.

UPDATE: 2:20 p.m. Friday

Progress has been made on restoring gas service to properties in Lake Country and North Kelowna.

FortisBC said it has turned the gas meters back on and relit appliances at roughly 1,000 properties as on noon Friday.

The work to restore service to the roughly 5,200 other properties was planned to continue Friday afternoon and through the weekend.

“When a technician arrives, if you are home, they will turn your gas back on at the meter and relight your appliances for you,” FortisBC said.

“If you are not home, a door tag will be left with instructions on how to request a return visit. For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work.”

The utility provider reminded people to be safe by not using outdoor equipment like propane heaters or barbecues to heat their homes, and that anyone who smells rotten eggs or hears the sound of escaping gas should immediately go outside and call 911 or FortisBC’s 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-663-9911.

UPDATE 10:30 a.m. Friday

Crews started the work to turn gas back on for thousands of Central Okanagan residents Friday.

FortisBC said it had completed the gas meter shut off work Thursday and the system was refilled with gas, and that technicians would be revisiting all 6,200 affected properties to turn their meters back on and relight appliances.

That work began Friday morning, and was expected to take the weekend to complete.

“If you are home, a technician will relight your appliances,” FortisBC said in a release.

“If you are not home, the technician will still turn gas back on at the meter, and they will leave a door tag with instructions on how to schedule a return visit to relight your appliances. Customers can contact the emergency number 1-877-711-8877 to arrange for FortisBC to restore your service.”

The utility provider noted that anyone who smells rotten eggs or hears the sound of escaping gas inside their home should go outside immediately and call 911 or FortisBC’s 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-663-9911.

The cause of the gas outage was still not known as of the latest update.

UPDATE 9 p.m. Thursday

Work is ongoing to address the gas outage in the Central Okanagan affecting roughly 6,200 properties.

FortisBC said its crews had visited all the affected properties in Lake Country and North Kelowna, and had shut off all their gas meters.

The system was being refilled with gas, also known as pressurizing, which the utility provider said could take between two and three hours to complete.

Once complete technicians will return to the affected properties to turn their gas meters back on and relight their appliances.

“Relights are anticipated to begin [Thursday] evening, continuing [Friday] and throughout the weekend,” Fortis said in an update on the outage.

“The exact timing for each property will depend on how quickly technicians can visit each location.”

FortisBC previously said it expected the majority of affected customers to have service restored by Sunday.

The cause of the outage, which began Wednesday night, had not been confirmed as of time of publication.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m. Thursday

FortisBC expects the first steps to restore gas service to thousands of Lake Country and North Kelowna residents to be completed Thursday evening.

The utility provider said it predicted that gas meters would be shut off at all 6,200 affected properties by 6 p.m. Thursday, at which point the system could be filled with gas once again. The repressurization was expected to be completed by 9 p.m.

“As soon as the system is safely back at full operating pressure, crews will begin revisiting each home and business to turn gas back on at the meter and relight appliances,” FortisBC said in its update.

“This work will continue tomorrow (Friday) morning and throughout the weekend. The exact timing for each property will depend on how quickly technicians can visit each location.”

A warming centre was operating out of the Oyama Community Club for people affected by the outage to get some relief.

Lake Country Mayor, Blair Ireland, issued a statement to residents in the midst of the gas outage, saying this event showed how the community can come together to support each other.

“Across Lake Country, neighbours are checking in on one another, sharing updates, and offering support. That sense of care and connection is something we can all rely on right now,” Ireland said in part.

“[While the work to restore gas service continues], please continue to take care of yourselves and check in on your neighbours, friends, and family who may need assistance, especially your elderly neighbours. If anyone requires a place to warm up, the Oyama Community Club remains open to support affected residents.”

He also urged people to not use outdoor equipment like barbecues, patio heaters or generators to heat their homes, as that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.

The cause of the outage remained under investigation.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m. Thursday

Work to restore gas service to Lake Country and North Kelowna residents continue through Thursday.

FortisBC said the outage affecting 6,200 customers requires gas meters be shut down, with over 1,300 of those shut off Wednesday night and approximately 60 technicians were continuing that work through Thursday.

The utility provider said it expected to have all meters shut off by 6 p.m. Thursday.

Once all meters are off, FortisBC will pressurize and add gas back into the system, which could take between two and three hours.

Each property will then be revisited so technicians can turn on the gas and relight appliances.

It was expected that service would be restored to the majority of customers by Sunday.

Central Okanagan Emergency Management said its warming centre remains at the Oyama Community Club would remain open until further notice to provide temporary comfort for those affected by the outage.

Natural gas service was being restored to about 6,200 customers in Lake Country and North Kelowna following a major outage.

FortisBC said crews needed to work through a multi-step process to bring service back online, and were still in the first step of shutting off all gas meters Thursday, followed by restoring pressure to the system.

Technicians will then returned to relight appliances at homes and businesses across the affected areas.

Additional crews from other communities were also been tasked with assisting with the restoration effort, with the utility provider saying it expected to have service restored for the majority of customers by Sunday.

Central Okanagan Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Centre at Level 1 during the outage and opened a warming centre at the Oyama Community Club for affected residents.

Officials had warned people not to use outdoor heating or cooking equipment indoors, including barbecues, propane stoves, camping stoves, patio heaters and generators, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.

“We recognize how disruptive this outage is for customers and appreciate everyone’s patience as crews work through the required steps to safely restore gas service,” a FortisBC representative told Vernon Matters in an email.

The cause of the outage was still undetermined as of time of publication.

More information is available at fortisbc.com/safety and coemergency.ca.