2 in hospital after tree falls on car in Surrey during B.C. windstorm
Wild weather also caused ferry cancellations and widespread power outages
A mother and child are in hospital with minor injuries after a tree fell on their car in Surrey during a day of weather chaos on the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.
The woman was in the car with her youngest child when the tree fell, according to her niece, Nicole Tran.
Tran said the woman's eldest child, nine years old, escaped from the car, but the woman and her youngest, who is of preschool age, were trapped in the car between 10 and 20 minutes until fire crews arrived.
Environment Canada had earlier forecast winds gusting up to 70 km/h over Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands, East Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Bricks fall off building
In Vancouver, fire crews were kept busy during the windstorm by falling bricks from a building at Pender Street and Gore Avenue.
Man living here tells me he was inside watching Tv when he heard a 'boom'. He managed to escape with no injuries. <a href="https://t.co/1foy1NfrvJ">pic.twitter.com/1foy1NfrvJ</a>
—@BrennaRoseTVThe bricks hit a rented home where Alan Tang has lived since 1993. He says he's unsure if he'll continue to live in the building after the incident.
"I was watching TV in the living room, then I hear a boom sound," he said. "I think it's the lighting; I go up to check my room and the ceiling was all collapsed."
<a href="https://twitter.com/BrennaRoseTV">@BrennaRoseTV</a> Also from the alley. <a href="https://t.co/fjLmawNwNI">pic.twitter.com/fjLmawNwNI</a>
—@eastvanhalenA couple living in a nearby coach house say a retaining wall blew over at a condo being built next door and damaged their home.
"We looked at our house and you could just see the living room totally ripped open and exposed and my jaw just dropped," said Hayden Kannegiesser.
"We just went out for groceries, I almost didn't even go with her. I could have been in there. It's mind boggling," said Trevor McEachran.
Ferries, power impacted
The wild weather caused BC Ferries to cancel service on four routes between the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.
However, it was late Friday it announced that it was able to restore service between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay for the 7 and 9 p.m. sailings.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCFHeadsUp?src=hash">#BCFHeadsUp</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HorseshoeBay?src=hash">#HorseshoeBay</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DepartureBay?src=hash">#DepartureBay</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DepartureBay?src=hash">#DepartureBay</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HorseshoeBay?src=hash">#HorseshoeBay</a> resumed service for 7&9pm limited availability. ^sb
—@BCFerriesThe following routes were still cancelled as of 7 p.m.:
- Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Victoria (Swartz Bay)
- Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Nanaimo (Duke Point)
- Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Southern Gulf Islands
BC Hydro customers were also impacted by the storm.
As of 7 p.m., more than 13,000 customers were without power across the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.