Backup battery running low after derailment knocks out power in Field, B.C.
No one injured when CP Rail grain train went off the tracks early Tuesday
A train derailment near Field, B.C., has knocked out power to the village.
CP Rail confirmed that a grain train derailed west of the village at 1:40 a.m. MT on Tuesday. Nobody was injured, a spokesperson said.
CP said crews and equipment were immediately dispatched to the site and that the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
BC Hydro's website states that following the power outage caused by the incident, around 150 people are being supplied power from an ESF battery.
"We expect that we will not be able to access the site to make repairs until tomorrow at the earliest. It is very likely that the battery will run out of power before we are able to restore power to our customers," BC Hydro said in a statement posted online.
"We ask that while your power is coming from the battery, please conserve electricity if possible to extend the supply. This might mean postponing energy-intensive tasks until grid power has been restored."
As of 11 a.m., the utility estimated the backup battery had nine more hours of capacity remaining.
The derailment comes nearly two years after a fatal runaway CP train crash east of the village.
- RCMP launch probe into Canadian Pacific runaway train crash that killed 3 crew members
- Rail safety expert warns of more mountain crashes due to faulty brakes if Transport Canada doesn't act
Last month, RCMP's major crimes unit launched a criminal investigation into the February 2019 crash that killed three crew members.
With files from Scott Dippel.