The cause of a power outage that snarled traffic in Langford's McCallum Road area and disrupted many shoppers' afternoon plans on Thursday is still under investigation.
"It impacted 128 customers and unfortunately many were large retail outlets," said Ted Olynyk, a B.C. Hydro spokesperson.
Costco and Home Depot, among other stores in the area, where without power from roughly 11:20 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, causing the stores to temporarily close their doors to shoppers.
"It was part of our underground system," Olynyk said, noting underground repairs can often take longer than those above ground.
While crews are still investigating the cause, it is suspected to be weather related due to an increase in demand.
"Sometimes it's hard to determine the cause," Olynyk said, adding they will often find a system that has been tripped with no visible cause.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com