Town of Golden opens warming centre amid widespread power outage

The majority of residents in Golden, B.C., and the surrounding area were without power Fridayfor a second night.

On Thursday evening, a transformer at the Golden substation malfunctioned causing a power outage that affected the entire community of around 5,000 people.

Overnight Thursday, crews were able to restore power to about 1,000 people. But around 3,800 people remain without power.

"Crews are looking at several solutions to restore power to the Golden area as soon as possible," said Kevin Aquino with B.C. Hydro.

"We appreciate the impact this outage has on the community."

He says B.C. Hydro will switch a small group of customers,including grocery stores and the Golden Seniors Centre, to a different circuit Friday evening to restore their power.

The temperature is expected to drop to 4 C overnight, though with wind chill, it will feel like 12 C, according to Environment Canada.

In response, the town of Golden has opened a 24-hour warming centre at the Okanagan Regional Library where residents can access water, power, and heat. Town officials say volunteers will be onsite until power is restored.

There are also warm meals, snacks and baby formula available at the centre.

"My biggest concern is members of our population that aren't connected to the internet," says Kyle Hale, emergency program co-ordinator for the Golden and area emergency program.

"If you know of a friend or loved one who is isolated, reach out to them and make sure they are OKbecause it's hard for us to know who needs help unless they reach out to us."

The Okanagan Regional Library is located at 819 Park Drive, Golden, B.C.