THUNDER BAY -- The Intercity core went dark on Wednesday evening and traffic lights on the highway are still extinguished at this hour after a vehicle struck and knocked over a power line.
The blackout disrupted power for 1,000 customers at 5:30 p.m., extending from the intersection of Burwood Road and Golf Links Road where the incident occurred down Central Avenue and the Harbour Expressway to Memorial Avenue.
Thunder Bay Hydro communications officer Eilene Dias said crews were unable to restore power until emergency workers deemed the vehicle's occupants to be safe.
"We had an extensive power outage that swept through a central swath of the city. It included commercial areas," Dias said.
"One of the reasons we were unable to restore promptly had to do with the fact that we were finding ourselves in a life-threatening situation. So that is why the delay in isolating the power outage down to where it needed to be."
Dias said the outage had been restricted to 66 customers as of 8 p.m. Persistent outages include traffic lights along Oliver Road at Golf Links Road and the Expressway as well as residences and the Tim Horton's coffee shop between those intersections.
A Thunder Bay Police Service spokesman said the vehicle's three occupants suffered only minor injuries and no one was hospitalized in the incident.
The incident is still under investigation.
