Forest Fire in Chapleau knocks down power lines; 2,000 residents without
power

TORONTO, May 28 /CNW/ - A forest fire that started yesterday afternoon in the Chapleau area near Wawa, Ontario, has burned through at least 22 hydro poles and caused a power outage affecting approximately 2,000 local residents, including 470 Hydro One customers. As the fires continue to burn, Hydro One crews are not able to access the area in order to assess the full nature and extent of damage to electrical equipment. Crews have been mobilized and are ready to repair the system once clearance is received from the local Fire Warden.

"Safety of the public and our employees is our number one concern," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice-President, Customer Operations, Hydro One. "Hydro One crews are on hand, ready to respond and assess the extent of the damage. Once we receive clearance, we will respond as quickly as possible to safely repair damaged equipment and restore power to the area."

Estimated restoration time cannot be determined until the fire is under control and crews are able to access the scene. It is expected that it could take several days to repair the system in order to restore power. The Company will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves.

Hydro One crews are staging near the site with helicopters and off-road equipment on hand to ship in the new poles and materials needed to restring the power line.

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 123,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

For further information: Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or [phone]; Our website is www.HydroOne.com