It was a long and nerve-wracking night for dozens of BC Transit passengers after a Route 28 bus became trapped under live wires in the early hours Sunday morning in Saanich.
The incident happened just after midnight on Feltham Road near Cedar Hill Road, when an oak tree reportedly came crashing down and snapped a nearby hydro pole in half.
The fallen pole sent live power lines across the road, tangling with the top of the passing bus.
According to BC Transit, emergency crews quickly arrived and instructed the driver and roughly 30 passengers to stay on board until BC Hydro could confirm it was safe to exit.
But with multiple outages and emergencies across the region following Saturday night’s storm, Hydro crews couldn’t get to the scene right away. The passengers were forced to remain on the bus for nearly four hours, until shortly after 4 a.m., when the area was finally deemed safe.
A second bus was brought in to take everyone to their destinations, and thankfully, no injuries were reported.
“BC Transit appreciates the patience of the impacted customers, and thanks the Transit Operator, Transit Supervisors, BC Hydro and emergency services that supported their safety throughout the incident,” the agency said in a statement.
Roughly 429 customers were without power for much of Sunday due to the live wires.
