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In the heat of a power failure, most people keep a cool head
On Monday, July 14th, 2008, an underground fire in Vancouver’s downtown area (Dunsmuir St. and Richards St.) shut down power to many local businesses and agencies. It was reported that the fire caused so much heat and smoke that BC Hydro crews weren't able to inspect the damage until more than seven hours after the fire began.
It was reported by Gary Rodford, the utility’s vice president of field operations, that a splice - the joining of two or more cables - shorted out and burst into flames, melting 14 circuits inside the underground vault
The 411 Seniors Centre is situated directly between BC Hydro's Dunsmuir Street headquarters and Cathedral Square, which borders the cordoned-off 500 block of Richards. The building is barely a dozen metres from the manhole where the underground fire started that caused the continuing power failure for many parts of the downtown core. As of Tuesday morning, the BC Hydro building was still without power. Coates said her staff was kept busy answering phone calls from members, and all meal services and programs were operating as usual, with only minor setbacks.
It was business as usual for Coates, her staff, and the centre's members. "We're in a bubble," said Coates, executive director of the centre.
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