British Columbia’s public utility says it was warned that an underground electrical vault was a danger seven years before it blew up under a Vancouver street, injuring two people and badly damaging a city business.
B.C. Hydro president Chris O’Riley apologized for the blast last February, saying a third-party investigation found the fire and explosion was caused by a buildup of gases from a leaking gasket in the lid of an oil-filled switch.
O’Riley said 14 vaults, including the one on Burrard Street that exploded, were identified as high risk in 2016 by B.C. Hydro’s own assessment, which said failure to replace them could result in severe injury or death.
The assessment recommended
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