'Attempted copper theft' caused Telus outage affecting Fraser Valley, company says

The Telus logo is seen in this undated file photo. (CTV)

B.C.'s largest 911 service provider says service has been restored after an outage in the Fraser Valley that left some customers unable to reach emergency responders using landlines.

E-Comm 911 tweeted Sunday morning that an ongoing service disruption in the region had rendered some Telus landlines unable to call 911, and urged people to use cell phones instead. 

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for the company said customers were experiencing "intermittent" television, internet and home phone service. Cellphone service was not affected.

The outage is listed as having begun around 10:40 p.m. Saturday. The cause is listed as "damage inflicted upon Telus infrastructure."

The spokesperson elaborated on that description, saying that thieves had damaged the company's infrastructure near Hope "in an attempted copper theft."

"Our crews immediately identified the damage and have been working early hours and throughout the day to fully restore service," the spokesperson said.

"We know how critical connectivity is for our customers, and would like to thank them for their ongoing patience and understanding."

By about 6 p.m., E-Comm said service had been restored to roughly 500 customers.