A runaway inflatable Godzilla, cicadas and several fish dropped on power lines were among some of BC Hydro’s most memorable calls this year.
BC Hydro says its crews responded to over 61,000 trouble calls in 2025, including some caused by storms, equipment failures, wildfires, birds and even a flying inflatable Godzilla.
The most recent call involved the inflatable Godzilla, which was swept up in one of the three major storms that passed across BC earlier this month.
The inflatable creature was set up at a car dealership in Nanaimo before it was sent flying into nearby power lines, where it was removed by BC Hydro crews.
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In May, a group of children were practicing their casting skills when they accidentally hooked power lines in Sidney, causing an outage for one customer.
Crews removed the two fishing lures and lines before restoring service.
During that same month, a Kelowna customer reported an alarming buzzing sound, fearing a power line issue.
However, BC Hydro crews were able to determine it was actually cicadas.
“No repairs needed, just a reminder that nature can be noisy,” BC Hydro said.
In July, an osprey in Ashcroft dropped a fish onto a power line, which sparked a small grass fire that led to an outage of 943 customers.
Fire crews, BC Hydro workers and local ranchers worked together to extinguish the blaze using 4,800 gallons of water, BC Hydro said.
During that same month, crews responded to another power outage in Horsefly, a small community about 67 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake.
This outage, which affected 375 people, was the result of a beaver falling a large tree across multiple spans of wire.
A crow caused a large power outage in Delta during July.
The bird reportedly collided with a transformer, knocking out an entire feeder and leaving 4,636 customers without power. Crews patrolled the circuit and restored service, BC Hydro said.
Another osprey incident was reported in Quesnel in August. The bird dropped a fish on power lines, leaving six people without power. The incident resulted in a power pole being replaced.
“While outages can be unpredictable, many are preventable. BC Hydro urges the public to stay safe by watching for power lines, never flying kites, drones or carrying balloons near them, and securing items that could blow away,” BC Hydro said in its news release.
“Always keep at least three metres, about the length of a four-door car, between yourself, tools, and power lines”
If you see a downed or damaged line, stay back at least 10 metres, about the length of a city bus, and call 9-1-1.
