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Tens of thousands of Londoners were without electricity Tuesday as a wind storm swept through the region over the noon hour, knocking out service to pockets of the city.
Dozens of power failures, mainly in the city’s north, but also in west-end Byron and Lambeth in the southwest, were reported in the fallout of the gusting winds that brought down trees and branches, and power lines with them, and also knocked out traffic lights in some intersections.
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Cobblestone Drive, in the Huron Heights area, was blocked by a large tree that came crashing down, severing a natural gas line, officials with the London Fire Department said. No injuries were reported and the gas was dissipating, fire officials said.
About 22,000 customers were affected by the the sudden service interruptions, electricity distributor London Hydro said.
On its website, where power failures are mapped out, London Hydro showed more than 50 service interruptions early Tuesday afternoon, including in multiple pockets with more than 500 customers each.
The power distributor could not say when affected customers should expect service to be restored.
“We don’t have an estimated restoration time right now,” a London Hydro spokesperson said shortly before 1 p.m. “Crews have been dispatched and we’ll know more as they get out and assess the situation.”
Besides Byron and Lambeth, affected areas included Huron Heights, Uplands, Southcrest, North London, Fanshawe, Sunningdale, Medway and Stoney Creek.
The heavy winds also buffeted the downtown, but no electrical service issues were immediately reported there.
The fire department reported crews were responding to calls about many downed trees and power line issues.
On its website, the Weather Network reported gusts up to 110 kilometres an hour were possible from winds developing behind a thunderstorm system moving through the region.
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