Planning for growth
North Delta to take bulk of new population
3
Berry loud
Residents upset over blueberry cannons
4
Bog in spotlight Pair of annual events set for Sunday
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Optimist Delta
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Pioneers advance Ladner sweeps Langley in opening round
23
Capital performance
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Power outage hits civic centre Electrical fire at bus loop forces leisure centre to close and other buildings to rely on back-up generators BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
Several buildings in Delta’s municipal precinct were left without power for hours Monday after an electrical fire. About seven public buildings along Harvest Drive and Clarence Taylor Crescent were left in the dark after a cable malfunction caused a fire in an underground junction box at the Ladner bus loop. Deputy fire chief Ken Sim said the call came in at around 10 a.m. Firefighters responded to extinguish the blaze while B.C. Hydro crews worked to re-route power and assess the damage. A B.C. Hydro spokesperson said power would be re-routed until the damaged area could be fixed at a later date. The incident cut power to the Delta Sport Development Centre, which is home to Delta Gymnastics, the Ladner Leisure Centre, Delta Hospice, Delta Hospital, municipal hall, the school district office and the Ladner fire hall. The outage prompted the evacuation and closure of the leisure centre, which doesn’t have a backup generator. The pool was closed and all programs were cancelled until power was restored. Delta
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Firefighters extinguished an underground fire Monday morning that cut power to buildings in the civic precinct. Gymnastics was also left mostly in the dark with only the emergency lights working. However, most buildings that were affected by the outage were able to continue operating with the help of back-up generators. “Most municipal facilities
are backed up,” Sim said, so the impact was minimal in most cases. The fire hall, municipal hall, school board office, hospice and hospital were all on back-up generators until around 2:30 p.m. when electricity was restored.
“We have a back-up generator that came on right away,” said school district spokesperson Deneka Michaud, adding that generator cannot power everything in the building and it did start to get hot without any air conditioning. Over at Delta Hospice, execu-
PHOTO BY
GORD GOBLE
tive director Nancy Macey said a surge just before the power went out may have damaged some electronics. She said the facility’s commercial dishwasher is now out of commission and staff members have to serve food using disposable dishes and cutlery.
Air show returns to Boundary Bay Saturday The skies above Boundary Bay Airport will be filled with entertainment this Saturday. The Corporation of Delta, and Alpha Aviation are hosting the annual Boundary Bay Air Show,
a free family event that includes exciting aerial acts, displays of vintage and modern aircraft, prize draws, food vendors, a beer and wine tent, and lots of activities for the kids.
Gates open at 11 a.m. and the air show begins at 1 p.m. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, but to leave pets at home. • Details on Pages 19 to 22.