A very unusual and unique Canadian turn of events due to the behavior of Rascally beavers. Beavers had chewed through fiber cables at multiple points, causing extensive damage. Tumbler Ridge, a tiny city in northeastern British Columbia with about 2,000 people, lost service for roughly 36 hours, called “uniquely Canadian disruption!”
The beavers seem to have been scouting for stuff to build their house. And they used fiber marking tape, usually buried several feet underground, as part of their damn. The beavers dug underground beside the creek to reach fiber cable, buried about three feet underground and protected by a 4-5 inch thick conduit. The beavers first cut through the conduit before chewing through the line in multiple locations.
After gnawing through necessary fiber cables, It took down internet service for about 900 customers in a remote Canadian community. According to a record from the area’s provider, the outage has been resolved. It also affected 60 cable TV customers and disrupted local cell phone service. The company crews worked to address the issue and determine how far the damage continued up the cable line. They brought additional equipment and technicians to tackle “challenging conditions” because the ground above the cable is partially frozen this time of year.
