Power restored after diesel plant fire knocks out electricity to Charlottetown, Pinsent's Arm
All 285 residents were without power, says town manager Stewart Macnab
Power has been restored after a fire at the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro diesel plant in Charlottetown that knocked out power to the southern Labrador community Monday morning.
Customers in neighbouring Pinsent's Arm were also without power.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control, according to town manager Stewart Macnab.
NL Hydro said the fire was extinguished by around 9 a.m. NT.
Macnab said he found out about the fire around 5 a.m., but isn't certain what time the fire started.
Too soon to tell when power will be restored. Mobile gen sets were saved thankfully, which will get power restored much quicker. Tks to this l’il generator I’m able to have wifi. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nlpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nlpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/charlottetown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#charlottetown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Labrador?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Labrador</a> <a href="https://t.co/kIhTi6OpEt">pic.twitter.com/kIhTi6OpEt</a>
—@LisaVDempsterThe entire community was powerless, leaving 285 residents without power, Macnab said on Monday morning.
A spokesperson for NL Hydro said there were no injuries as a result of the fire.
By 4 p.m. Monday afternoon crews were on the ground examining the potential to restore power using temporary generators, NL Hydro said in an updated statement.
In a follow up statement at 9:30 p.m., NL Hydro said power has been restored to all customers in Charlottetown and Pinsent's Arm using temporary generation equipment at the diesel plant site.
The town does not have a backup generator, so there was no source of power, Macnab said. The local health clinic did have its own generator and was therefore able to remain open.
'Not a good situation'
"We're gonna be without services for a while," Macnab said early Monday, adding that phone lines were working fine.
Local fisherman Edward Turnbull said he was woken up by a knock on his door at 6:30 a.m. by a neighbour telling him about the fire.
"I talked to people earlier this morning and went around town before daylight there, and the blaze was coming out the top of the plant then," he said, recounting the scene in his hometown.
"It's not a good situation."
Gilbert Linstead, CEO of the Labrador Fishermen's Union Shrimp Company, said about six loads of shrimp from the town's plant were put in cold storage with refrigerated trucks on standby to take the loads to L'anse au Loup if needed.
With files from Bailey White and Tyler Mugford