Beavers Chewing Through Fiber Cable Cause Hundreds Lose Internet in a Canadian Remote Community

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Beavers Chewing Through Fiber Cable Cause Hundreds Lose Internet in a Canadian Remote Community

By CircleID Reporter
April 27, 2021, 3:26 pm PDT Views: 17,989 Add Comment

Internet service was down for nearly 900 customers in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, over the weekend after beavers chewed through a crucial fiber cable, resulting in “extensive” damage. According to a statement from the area’s telecom provider, Telus, the outage also affected some cable TV customers and caused disruptions to local cell phone services.

In a “very bizarre and uniquely Canadian turn of events,” crews found that beavers chewed through the cable at multiple points, causing the Internet to go down on Saturday at about 4 a.m., said Telus spokesperson Liz Sauvé. She added: “Our team located a nearby dam, and it appears the beavers dug underground alongside the creek to reach our cable, which is buried about three feet underground and protected by a 4.5-inch thick conduit.”

The beavers first chewed through the conduit before chewing through the cable in multiple locations. “The beavers even used some of our cables to build their dam,” Sauvé later reported in a tweet. Telus said conditions were particularly challenging as the grounds above the cable were partially frozen. The service was restored by the next day, Sunday, at around 6:30 p.m. ET.

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By CircleID Reporter — CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.
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