A dump truck doing work on the Boundary Road connector project downed some hydro lines on Wednesday afternoon, creating fear that individuals could be electrocuted.
At about 3 p.m., the truck's bucket, partially raised, caught a couple of overhead utility lines and pulled them down. Three poles were felled by the collision in the Boeing Road and Gunn Road vicinity.
Nearby construction workers believed the lines to be live so everyone in the vicinity was directed to stay put, including the truck driver still inside the cab.
The closest business was Murdoch Veterinary Clinic which was forced to close early due to the mishap.
"Business wasn't doing well already [because of the construction] and now this. This is just another thing," said Eastway Esso co-owner Shemin Patel. "We are closed. We can't do a thing. We've been told it will be maybe 12 hours before they get things working again."
A block north at Pinedale Autowrecking, the rooms were also dark but proprietor Kevin Ploeger was unconcerned.
"My hair isn't standing on end," he said of the live wire concerns. "We have no computers, no lights, everything is shut down, but no big deal. They'll fix it as fast as they can."
Prince George Fire Rescue Service, BC Ambulance paramedics and BC Hydro crews responded, joining a large construction contingent. Traffic was diverted around the area with some difficulty due to the already congested lanes of traffic caused by roadwork.
No injuries were reported at the scene.
According to BC Hydro, the affected area encompassed 29 customer addresses between Piper, Voodoo, Boeing and Gunn roads. The outage did not extend to the nearby Prince George Airport.
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