Spring break camps and before and after school care programs had to be relocated from Esquimalt Recreation Centre on Tuesday due to transformer damage that cut power to the entire facility.

The damaged transformer, located outside the building off Fraser Street, had been struck by a vehicle between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Sunday. The damage didn't immediately affect the power supply, according to Jeff Byron, Esquimalt's manager of recreation services, but a fire started in the box around 7:45 a.m. when three fuses blew and all power to the centre was lost.

Workers got the system up and running again about 4:30 p.m. after spending all day on it, but it failed again early Tuesday, leaving camp and child care staff to set up shop at the nearby Archie Browning Sports Centre.

A temporary generator installed Tuesday was expected to produce about 60 per cent of the building's necessary power, Byron said, but the pool was likely to remain out of commission until as late as Thursday.

ICBC and the municipality's insurance company will cover the cost of the repairs, he added.

Other recreation centres in the region are honouring passes to Esquimalt Rec in the interim. Meanwhile, parents whose children are in camps or other programs, as well as other rec centre users are asked to visit esquimalt.ca or call 250-412-8510 for updates, or visit Esquimalt Recreation on Facebook.

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