BC Hydro says it is still too early to say when power will be restored to much of the north Shuswap.

The Crown Corporation says it has “significantly” increased the number of workers on the ground over the past couple of days. To date, it says crews replaced 50 power poles and dug holes for about 130 other poles.

It is less than half of the 430 poles that need to replaced, with BC Hydro also saying crews have to replace about 27 kilometres of power lines and 66 pieces of other equipment that was damaged by the Bush Creek East Fire earlier this month.

“A complete damage assessment is still underway and these numbers are expected to increase,” Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott said, noting about 10 spans of wires – the  the distance between poles – has already been restrung.

“There are more than 120 workers in the region supporting restoration efforts, and BC Hydro will continue to send more resources as needed. With the additional support on the ground, work is expected to ramp up significantly in the coming days.”

Around 3,000 Hydro customers on the north shore of Shuswap Lake, as well as around Adams Lake, have been without power since August 18.

Outages remain in the area of Little Shuswap Lake, south Adams Lake, and across the North Shuswap from Lee Creek east to St. Ives. While most of those communities were ordered to evacuate, residents in Anglemont and St. Ives were not, though they’re being offered ESS supports if they choose to leave.

“BC Hydro will be prioritizing restoring power to critical infrastructure like water and wastewater plants, medical facilities and communications sites,” Scott added. “Crews will also be looking for ways to get the largest number of customers restored as safely and quickly as possible.”

“The safety of the public, crews and first responders has been and will continue to be BC Hydro’s top priority as it works to repair the extensive damage caused by the wildfire.”