Coquitlam mudslide knocks out power as heaviest rainfall expected on parts of B.C.'s South Coast
CBC
Emergency crews are on the scene of a mudslide in Coquitlam, B.C., that knocked out power for about 5,000 customers on Thursday.
Coquitlam Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Young said local RCMP and fire rescue services have secured the area and are supported by a geotechnical engineer along with workers from B.C. Hydro, Coquitlam Search and Rescue and city staff.
Four homes and two industrial properties are affected, according to Young, and there are currently no reports of injuries.
The emergency response began before 5:45 a.m. PT Thursday after a report of a mudslide in the 1900 block of Pipeline Road, north of the Upper Coquitlam River Park, according to RCMP.
B.C. Hydro said the slide brought down power lines, which caused an outage to about 5,000 customers.
Service was largely restored, with about 20 customers without power as of 10:30 a.m. PT.
"Unstable ground is preventing crews from safely reaching the damaged area, but a geotechnical team is on the way to assist," said B.C. Hydro on X.
"We’re working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, though full restoration may not be until late this evening or tomorrow morning."
Officials are asking the public to avoid the area until further notice. Coquitlam SAR said on social media that crews rescued eight people, two dogs and a cat from the area on Thursday.
The heavy rain in the Tri-Cities area forced the temporary suspension of West Coast Express service on Thursday afternoon, according to TransLink.
The track issue at Maple Ridge's Port Haney station led to an advisory for commuters to take the SkyTrain to Coquitlam Central station, following which buses would service the rest of the commuter rail route to the Fraser Valley.
In a week of wet weather, the heaviest rains still have not fallen, according to Environment Canada.
The federal agency says the heaviest rainfall from the "prolonged atmospheric river event" in parts of Metro Vancouver, the Sea-to-Sky region and western Vancouver Island is expected Thursday night into Friday morning.
Those regions, including the North Shore, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, as well as Howe Sound, Whistler, Pemberton and the Sea-to-Sky Highway, will see prolonged heavy rain, according to Environment Canada.
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