Faulty wiring causes SaskPower meter malfunction at Saskatoon house

SaskPower says faulty wiring is the culprit behindan early morning power meter malfunction in Saskatoon.

It happened just after 8 a.m. CST at a house on the 600 block of Douglas Crescent on the city's west side.

An official said a wiring issue inside the meter caused sparking and smoke. It did not have anything to do with ground shifting, which has caused meter problems in Regina.

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Judy Graham said she was just getting her day started when she was startled by a noise outside.

"All of a sudden I heard this pop pop pop pop and it scared the heck out of me.I didn't know what it was but it sounded like it was coming from the back of the house," she said.

Graham said she looked out back and spotted a tendril of smoke drifting up from the blackened glass on her meter box. She'd heardthe recent stories about meter fires in Regina and immediately feared the worst.

"My pets, how am I going to get all my pets out of the house? I'm panicking about my animals, if the house started on fire or something," she said.

The meter did not ignite.

SaskPowerworkers arrived and replaced the meter.