Sooke River Road was closed both ways for several hours on Wednesday morning, after emergency crews put out a hydro line fire.
Three power lines were knocked out by a tree around 8:30 a.m. near Fred Milne soccer fields, causing the lines to fall onto the road. Because the lines were still live, they continued to burn into the asphalt for at least an hour, said Sooke Fire Rescue Lt. Cam Norris-Jones, who was in charge of the cleanup and response operation.
“Once it burnt through the tree that fell, it started burning into the road,” he said, adding the fire dug around 18 inches deep into the asphalt surface.
This caused significant damage to the road, creating a visible mound of molten rock.
Both Norris-Jones and a Main Road official on the scene said a Main Road crew will need to re-patch the damaged lane before it’s opened to traffic.
Sooke River Road was opened around 10:15 a.m. to alternating traffic, but expect Main Road and B.C. Hydro crews in the area throughout the day as they work to restore power and the road.
The power outage affected 325 Sooke River Road residents, and another 600 with two more separate outages caused by downed trees.