UPDATE #2: Telus says phone and internet service has been restored to everyone affected.
UPDATE: Telus says a construction crew accidentally damaged a fibre line, which has caused the outage. 1,400 home internet customers are also without service in Grande Cache and Muskeg River. There is no estimated time of restoration at this point.
Landline and cell phone service is currently down for roughly 2,000 people in the Grande Cache area. There’s been a disruption in Muskeg that is affecting both outgoing and incoming phone calls.
Although some cell phones appear to be able to still call 9-1-1, the service is otherwise out for residents. The City of Grande Prairie’s Fire Department handles 9-1-1 calls for the Grande Cache area, and supervisor Chris Dunn says they’re in direct radio contact with the fire department in the town.
Residents are asked to report any emergencies at the Grande Cache fire hall while the outage is still on. Emergency services personnel are at their stations ready to respond.
A Telus service person is on their way to investigate the cause of the outage.