Update: Power has since been restored to most Hydro-Quebec customers. Read the full update here.
Several regions of the province have been hit by power outages. The total of Quebec customers without electricity stood at around 42,000 as of 8:30 p.m. Thursday. At its peak, Hydro-Quebec said 250,000 customers had lost power.
The majority of those affected are in Montreal, about 41,000 customers, down from a peak of about 88,000.
In a tweet Hydro-Quebec said the outages are linked to Quebec forest fires in the North-Shore region.
"We currently have two transmission lines unavailable for this reason, but our facilities are not damaged," the post reads.
"The smoke and heat have triggered protective mechanisms on the network. Power is being restored gradually."
