More than 44,000 Nova Scotia Power customers lost electricity Friday evening due to a major outage in several Halifax area communities during hot and humid weather. According to the utility’s outage map, power was cut around 8 p.m., affecting Spryfield, Armdale, Purcells Cove, Sambro, Prospect, Terence Bay, Hatchet Lake, Beechville, Clayton Park, and parts of Bedford.
Nova Scotia Power stated that they expected power to be restored by midnight as crews investigated the cause. The utility said in a Facebook post to CBC News that the outage originated at its Lakeside substation after “a failed piece of equipment.” Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency District Chief Robert Hebb confirmed there had been a fire at the substation, which led to the power disruption.
The incident occurred during high temperatures and humidity levels, increasing demand on the electricity network.