BC Hydro will waive electricity charges for wildfire evacuees

British Columbians who have been evacuated due to the wildfires burning across the province could get a bit of a break on their hydro bills, B.C.’s utility company said.

At a wildfire information briefing for the Bush Creek East wildfire Sunday afternoon, Mary Anne Coules with BC Hydro community relations said the corporation wants to support and assist those who have been affected.

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“Residential and commercial customers who are affected by an evacuation order will receive a credit for the electricity consumed for the duration of the time they’re out of their home if the order is for five days or longer,” Coules said. “We also offer flexible bill payment plans for when you return home.”

For those whose properties were destroyed by wildfires, BC Hydro will also waive all electricity charges since the previous billing period, including any usage before the evacuation order.

“This means that you should not receive a final bill for the account, and we will also waive the electricity service connection charge for any residential customer that rebuilds at their home, if it’s not paid for by insurance,” she said.

As of Sunday, there are 3,663 properties on evacuation order and 2,322 on evacuation alert due to wildfires across B.C., Tracy Hughes, information officer with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Emergency Operations Centre, said at the briefing.