Dry weather causing ground settling, pulling cables from SaskPower boxes

SaskPowerwill be sending crews to homes in Regina, checking to see whether electric cables havebeen pulled from power boxes as a result of ground shifting.

Ryan Blair, operations manager for the city, said weeks of hot, dry weather are causing the ground settling.

"It's the dry conditions that are just pulling down. You can see ground settling of between four and eight inches in some homes and that ground is taking the wire with it when pulls down," he told reporters on Thursday.

• Summer could be warmer than normal on the prairies

He said this is an issue throughout the province, but especially for homes in Regina.

Ground settling can cause meterfires, but that's extremely rare, Blair said.

Starting on Thursday evening, SaskPowercrews will head to the neighbourhoods of Glencarin, Uplands, Parliament Place and Normanview Crossing areas with older homes to check for ground settling and compromised cables.

Crews will expand their inspections elsewhere beginning Friday.

Blair advised homeowners not to touch their meter. If they see the box is tilted it could be a sign the cable has moved.