Service alert

FortisBC is closely monitoring wildfires across the province

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the ongoing wildfire activity across British Columbia.

Public and employee safety remain our top priority. FortisBC is closely monitoring conditions for potential impacts to our customers, employees and the communities we serve. Our employees are trained to respond to emergencies such as wildfires that may affect our gas or electricity systems. We are coordinating with emergency officials, taking steps to protect our gas and electricity systems and support customers and communities during this challenging time.

During active wildfires, FortisBC may shut off sections of the gas or electricity system in co-ordination with emergency officials to support firefighting efforts or address safety concerns.

What to know during a wildfire or evacuation

In the event your home or property is evacuated, exit your property immediately.

Do not turn off your gas equipment or meter. FortisBC can safely turn off sections of our gas system following the shut off plans we have in place for our entire system. These plans allow us to minimize any potential hazards or risks during an evacuation or large-scale event.

Once fire or emergency officials confirm the situation is safe, there are a number of steps that FortisBC takes to safely restore service to our customers.

For electricity customers:

  • Our technicians will assess the system in the affected area, repair any damage and reactivate the system.
  • If our outage map notes that power in your area has been restored but residents still don’t have power, we encourage people to contact us as the local distribution system may have been damaged.
  • For information about outages on our electricity system, visit our outage map.

For gas customers:

  • Our technicians will visit each home to relight all affected appliances and equipment and restore gas service at the meter, if required.
  • If you are not at home, a FortisBC technician will leave a door tag that provides contact information. Call 1-877-711-8877 to schedule a time for a relight. Please note that a person aged 16 or older must be present for technicians to restore service and relight appliances.

For more information about gas and electricity outages, service restoration and returning home after an evacuation, visit our wildfire and evacuation page.

If you spot a downed power line, do not approach it. Stay back at least 10 metres (33 feet, about the length of a school bus) and report it.

Customers who are under an evacuation order for five or more consecutive days are eligible for a bill credit for the evacuation period. Credits will be applied automatically to eligible accounts; customers do not need to apply. Learn more about bill credits and support for wildfire-affected communities.

Only return to your property when local authorities have confirmed it is safe to do so.

If you see damaged electrical equipment or suspect damage to gas equipment, keep a safe distance and contact FortisBC at the phone numbers below.

For information about wildfire preparedness and emergency response, visit:

For more information on what to do if your property is affected, visit our wildfire and evacuation page.

To find out the status of service outages on our electricity system, visit outages.fortisbc.com.

We're always here to help

Call us immediately if you have any concerns:

  • Gas emergencies: 1-800-663-9911 (24 hours)
  • Electricity emergencies or power outages: 1-866-436-7847 (24 hours)