Thousands of dollars in damage after power outages destroy appliances in Arnprior, Ont.
Dozens of homes in a newly built subdivision in Arnprior have thousands of dollars worth of damage after multiple power outages fried their household appliances.
Everyone in the Marshall's Bay Meadows subdivision off Madawaska Boulevard moved in less than a year ago. Resident Mike Newton says he has lost several appliances.
"We've lost our furnace, our air conditioning, our dishwasher, and some minor lighting in the house," Newton tells CTV News.
"I've heard people have lost as much as their hot tubs and fridges, so there's been some significant damage done to people's property."
At least three town-wide power outages took place in Arnprior between Sunday evening and Monday evening.
Many in the area are pointing to a potential explosion on a nearby power pole. First-time homeowner Jake Dunn has his property back onto Madawaska Boulevard where the hydro poles are located.
"It sounded like two shotgun blasts went off," Dunn recalls. "The power went off once, came back on, went off again, and then I looked out my back window and it looked like a firework went off over one of the hydro lines. There was sparks flying everywhere."
Dunn is in a similar situation as Newton, his furnace and air conditioner have been fried.
"When I called yesterday to schedule the appointment they said that I was about the 37th house in the neighbourhood that was experiencing this problem," says Dunn.
"It's a brand new neighbourhood, shouldn't really be something we have to worry about."
Homeowners are being told to have their appliances reimbursed through insurance, with the power outages and surge being labelled an act of God.
Questions are now being raised after the town lost power three times within twenty-four hours.
"The town is a customer of Hydro One, just like everyone else who is here," says councillor Lisa McGee.
"It's near impossible to come up with any solutions without understanding what it is that happened in the first place."
In a statement to CTV News, Hydro One says the power outage Sunday night affecting approximately 7,090 people was due to a broken crossarm on a main power line.
An outage on Monday afternoon affecting approximately 12,380 people is still under investigation.
Newton says he was told repairs of his appliances could take weeks, replacements even longer.
"I've lived in Pakenham, Almonte, and Braeside," he says, "and I haven't had outages like this."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.