Published: December 6, 2025
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More than 5,400 BC Hydro customers in Fort St. John temporarily lost power on Friday, December 5, after two separate morning outages swept across the city. Power was restored before noon, but the disruptions — coming less than a week after a major planned shutdown on November 29 — have put a fresh spotlight on electrical reliability and outage preparedness in northeastern B.C. [1]
What happened in the Fort St. John power outage on December 5?
According to BC Hydro’s online outage tools and local reporting, the first and larger outage was logged at approximately 8:56 a.m. on Friday. It affected an estimated 4,268 customers in a rectangular area bounded roughly by south of 115th Avenue, west of 78th Street, north of 81st Street and east of 99th Avenue in Fort St. John. [2]
A second outage was reported 42 minutes later, at 9:39 a.m., impacting another 1,147 customers in a separate part of the city. That interruption covered an area east of 98th Street, north of 102nd Avenue, west of 112th Avenue and south of 118A Avenue. Together, the two events left roughly 5,415 BC Hydro customers without electricity in the span of an hour. [3]
BC Hydro listed both outages on its outage map and outage list, assigning separate crews to each incident. Residents watching the map on Friday morning would have seen two large clusters highlighted over central neighbourhoods of Fort St. John as crews were dispatched. [4]
Power back on before noon
By 11:40 a.m. Pacific time on December 5, BC Hydro updated its public outage information to show that power had been restored to all known affected customers in Fort St. John. The two outages disappeared from the “active” section of the utility’s outage list, indicating that repairs or switching operations were complete. [5]
A recap of the event published today (December 6) by SSBCrack News — which syndicated the details for a broader national and international audience — confirms the restoration timeline and customer counts, noting that crews were “quickly dispatched” and that service was back across the city by late morning. [6]
Another digital outlet, El‑Balad, has also carried a summary of the Fort St. John outages, highlighting the same time window and customer impact and emphasizing that the events were resolved and no longer appeared as active outages on BC Hydro’s site. [7]
As of December 6, 2025, there are no indications from BC Hydro or local media that the December 5 blackouts are ongoing. The utility’s current outage map shows no major active events tied to Friday’s incident within Fort St. John. [8]
Has BC Hydro explained the cause?
So far, BC Hydro has not publicly released a detailed cause for the two December 5 outages in Fort St. John. Both the local Energeticcity.ca coverage and subsequent syndicated write‑ups focus on the extent of the interruptions, the geographic boundaries, and the restoration timeline, but do not attribute the event to a specific technical failure, storm, or accident. [9]
BC Hydro notes on its general outage‑preparedness pages that power cuts in B.C. can result from bad weather, motor‑vehicle accidents, equipment problems and even wildlife interacting with lines or substations, and that restoration times vary depending on the cause and the complexity of necessary repairs. [10]
Until the utility publishes a more detailed explanation on its media pages or outage tools, residents only know when and where the power went out — not yet why these particular circuits failed.
Recent history: a planned Fort St. John outage on November 29
Friday’s unplanned blackouts arrived just six days after a significant planned outage in Fort St. John on Saturday, November 29, which affected a similar number of customers.
In a notice first reported on November 27, BC Hydro said that 1,148 customers in the city would be without power between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on November 29 so crews could safely replace a power pole along a distribution line. [11]
The utility described the planned‑work zone as a large block of north‑side neighbourhoods, including areas around 88th–94th Streets and 104th–118th Avenues, as well as several “A” avenues and Princess Crescent. BC Hydro’s northern community relations manager, Bob Gammer, explained that customers in the affected zone received automated phone calls and postcards with advance notice and outage details. [12]
Gammer also reiterated a long‑standing BC Hydro policy: for security reasons, the utility does not publish detailed address‑by‑address maps of planned outage areas, preferring to provide specific information directly to affected account holders. [13]
That planned shutdown was part of ongoing maintenance work on local infrastructure, and BC Hydro has previously said that such outages can be postponed or rescheduled during severe winter weather, underscoring the balancing act between reliability and safety. [14]
A year of repeated but mostly short power cuts
The December 5 dual outage is the most widespread Fort St. John power disruption in recent months, but it is not the first time residents have seen the lights go out in 2025.
- On October 27, 2025, a downed wire northwest of Fort St. John cut power to 54 customers just after 5 a.m. Power was restored by early afternoon the same day. [15]
- On June 3, 2025, BC Hydro reported outages affecting parts of Dawson Creek and Tomslake, with a brief loss of electricity on the 11300 block of Alaska Road in Fort St. John due to planned equipment work. Service to the Fort St. John area was restored the same day. [16]
Taken together with the November 29 planned outage and Friday’s large‑scale interruption, 2025 has delivered a mix of small, localized cuts and short‑duration but high‑impact events for customers in and around Fort St. John. While each incident has been resolved within hours, the cumulative effect is prompting renewed conversations about grid resilience, winter preparedness and how quickly residents can adapt when electricity suddenly disappears. [17]
How residents experienced Friday’s outage
For many households and businesses, the December 5 blackout struck squarely during the morning routine — a time when people rely on electricity for heating, cooking, and connectivity. Local reporting described neighbourhoods where multiple blocks went dark simultaneously, with traffic signals and some commercial sites also affected while crews isolated and repaired the faulted sections of the grid. [18]
BC Hydro’s outage map and list served as the primary real‑time sources of information. Customers watching the tools could see estimated restoration times and the boundaries of each affected area, while those who didn’t see their address listed were encouraged to phone the utility directly. [19]
Although the interruption was relatively short, even a few hours without power in early December can pose challenges: homes cool quickly, shops can’t process digital payments, and people working from home may lose internet or the ability to charge devices. That’s why BC Hydro and local municipalities repeatedly stress the importance of emergency kits, backup plans, and knowing where to find trusted outage information. [20]
What BC Hydro recommends you do during a power outage
BC Hydro publishes detailed guidance on what residents should do before, during and after an outage. Key recommendations include: [21]
1. Confirm it’s not just your home
- Check your breaker panel or fuse box to see whether a tripped breaker is the cause.
- In apartments or condos, report unit‑specific issues to your building manager.
- If it appears to be a wider problem, consult BC Hydro’s outage map or list of current outages to confirm the utility is aware of the issue. [22]
If your outage doesn’t appear online, you’re asked to report it either via your MyHydro account or by calling 1‑800‑BCHYDRO (1‑800‑224‑9376) or HYDRO (49376) from a mobile phone. [23]
2. Reduce demand to help crews restore power
When the power goes out, BC Hydro asks customers to: [24]
- Turn off electric heaters and major appliances.
- Unplug sensitive electronics such as computers and TVs.
- Turn off most lights, leaving one light inside and one outside switched on so you and crews can see when power returns.
These steps both protect your equipment and reduce the initial surge on the system when crews restore power.
3. Stay safe and protect food and heat
BC Hydro’s safety tips during an extended outage include: [25]
- Use portable generators only outdoors and never plug them into standard household outlets.
- Keep fridge and freezer doors closed; a full freezer can keep food frozen for up to 48 hours if unopened.
- Never use barbecues or camping stoves indoors due to carbon monoxide and fire risks.
- Check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours, and watch for municipal announcements about warming centres in very cold weather.
4. After the lights come back on
Once power is restored, BC Hydro recommends: [26]
- Avoid immediately turning on all heaters and appliances at once; bring them back gradually so the system can stabilize.
- Check the condition of food in your refrigerator and freezer and follow Government of Canada guidelines on what to keep or discard.
- Reset clocks, timers and alarms, and re‑stock your emergency kit with any supplies you used.
These steps apply equally to Friday’s Fort St. John outage and any future events in the region.
Can Fort St. John customers get compensation for outage‑related losses?
BC Hydro maintains a dedicated “Claims for damages” policy that applies to customers across the province. The utility emphasizes that, while it “works hard to provide safe and reliable service,” it does not guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity and therefore generally cannot be held liable for losses arising from ordinary outages. [27]
Under the policy: [28]
- BC Hydro typically does not compensate for losses or damage caused by:
- Storms, lightning, fallen trees, birds or other wildlife.
- Voltage irregularities or power interruptions due to unexpected equipment failure, emergencies or accidents.
- Planned outages required for maintenance, repairs or upgrades.
- Losses such as spoiled food or lost business income during planned outages are explicitly listed as not eligible for compensation.
- Claims may be considered if there is clear evidence that BC Hydro crews or contractors caused direct physical damage to private property during construction or maintenance work, or in certain vehicle‑related incidents.
Customers who still believe they have a valid claim can submit it online or request a paper form, but they must be prepared to provide detailed documentation — including repair bills, proof of damage, and itemized lists of affected equipment. Even then, the utility usually limits payment to the depreciated value of damaged items, and recommends that people also review their home or business insurance coverage. [29]
For Fort St. John residents impacted on December 5, this means that most common outage‑related losses are unlikely to be compensated by BC Hydro, unless the event is ultimately tied to a narrow set of circumstances that meet the utility’s claim criteria.
What’s next for Fort St. John?
As of today, December 6, 2025, the immediate emergency in Fort St. John is over: electricity has been restored, schools and businesses are operating, and BC Hydro’s outage tools show no major active events from Friday’s blackout. [30]
Yet the combination of:
- the large unplanned dual outage on December 5,
- the planned November 29 shutdown for over 1,100 customers, and
- several smaller outages earlier in the year
means that power reliability is likely to remain a talking point for residents, businesses and local officials over the winter. [31]
For now, BC Hydro’s message is consistent: stay prepared, know how to report outages, reduce demand when the power goes off, and use the utility’s outage map and outage list — along with trusted local media — as your primary sources of verified information whenever the lights flicker in Fort St. John. [32]
References
1. energeticcity.ca, 2. energeticcity.ca, 3. energeticcity.ca, 4. energeticcity.ca, 5. energeticcity.ca, 6. news.ssbcrack.com, 7. www.el-balad.com, 8. energeticcity.ca, 9. energeticcity.ca, 10. www.bchydro.com, 11. energeticcity.ca, 12. energeticcity.ca, 13. energeticcity.ca, 14. energeticcity.ca, 15. energeticcity.ca, 16. energeticcity.ca, 17. energeticcity.ca, 18. energeticcity.ca, 19. www.bchydro.com, 20. www.bchydro.com, 21. www.bchydro.com, 22. www.bchydro.com, 23. www.bchydro.com, 24. www.bchydro.com, 25. www.bchydro.com, 26. www.bchydro.com, 27. www.bchydro.com, 28. www.bchydro.com, 29. www.bchydro.com, 30. energeticcity.ca, 31. energeticcity.ca, 32. www.bchydro.com
