Fortis Reports Gas Relighting For Thousands of Okanagan Customers

Natural Gas Service Restoration Nears Completion for Thousands in Lake Country Area

April 18 2026 - FortisBC crews are making steady progress restoring natural gas service, with most customers in the affected areas expected to have service back by the end of the weekend.

For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work - FortisBC

The outage began on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, after a suspected break or failure occurred somewhere in FortisBC’s gas distribution system.

This led the utility to shut off gas meters for safety reasons across approximately 6,200 customers in Lake Country, parts of North Kelowna, and the Okanagan Indian Band (Duck Lake IR7).

For safety reasons, customers should not turn on their gas meter or relight appliances. A technician will come to your home and safely complete this work - FortisBC

Meter shut-offs were completed by late Thursday, April 16. Once the system issue was located, isolated, and repaired, FortisBC began the final restoration phase on Friday evening, April 17.

Teams of more than 60 crew members, including support teams brought in from across the province, are now going door-to-door, turning gas back on at individual meters and safely relighting appliances such as furnaces, water heaters, and stoves.

As of late Friday, around 1,700 customers had been restored, with work continuing into the evening and resuming early Saturday.

While restoration continues, Central Okanagan Emergency Management has kept a warming centre open until further notice at the Oyama Community Club (15710 Oyama Road) to provide temporary heat and comfort for affected residents.

Officials are urging strong caution during the outage. Residents should never use outdoor equipment indoors to heat their homes, as this can quickly lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.

Prohibited items include BBQs, propane grills, camping stoves, patio heaters, generators, and charcoal or fuel-burning devices.

Only appliances specifically approved for indoor use should be operated.

For the latest updates, visit FortisBC’s Service Alert page: https://www.fortisbc.com/service-alerts/service-alert

Fortis Reports Gas Relighting For Thousands of Okanagan Customers