Vancouver core blacked out third day

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 16 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 downtown stores and business were without power Wednesday for a third day in Vancouver, Canada, after an underground circuit failure and fire.

The British Columbia power utility BC Hydro said as of Tuesday night, electricity was restored to about 60 percent of the 2,200 customers in the downtown area, the Globe and Mail reported.

At 9 a.m. Monday, an explosion in an underground electrical vault blew a manhole cover off and spewed toxic smoke. Deputy Fire Chief Tom McEwen said temperatures in the manhole soared to 200 degrees and the fire and explosions continued intermittently until about 4 p.m.

Hydro spokeswoman Susan Danard said BC Hydro's own building was blacked out, as it wasn't "a priority," the Vancouver Sun reported.

British Columbia's major Internet and data network hub are located in the blackout zone and the telecommunications company Telus Mobility was using generators to power its transmitters in the core, the reports said.