Bell noted that the damage manifested as isolated pockets of localized failures rather than a single grid collapse.
"It’s not just one outage that affected a big area; it’s many smaller outages that are affecting customers," Bell said.
The Saskatoon Fire Department reported a massive surge in emergency calls as the storm passed through.
First responders answered 34 calls within a 90-minute window, addressing multiple small fires triggered by arcing lines and downed wires.
Emergency crews also assisted neighboring communities of Warman, Martensville, Osler, and Dalmeny.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba.
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A long-duration heat event is forecast to begin Friday afternoon and continue into next week, with temperatures approaching the mid-thirties and humidex values projected to reach 45 on Sunday.
