BC Hydro is working to pinpoint the cause of a power outage that affected more than 200,000 customers on southern Vancouver Island Sunday night.

The blackout came just before 6 p.m. PT at the height of turkey dinner time and didn't end until about 8 p.m. for most households. Customers across Victoria up into Ladysmith, as well as households on the Gulf Islands, were affected.

The outage meant big business for local pizza outlets, according to a report from the Victoria Times-Colonist.

One Boston Pizza was so stacked with orders it took up to two hours to make some deliveries, the newspaper reported.

Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk said the power problem was transmission related, although couldn't immediately pinpoint the exact source of the outage.

Aside from posing a major inconvenience to people in the midst of cooking a turkey and all the fixings, the blackout was also a major headache for emergency responders.

Firefighters and police officers had dozens of burglar alarms and calls from people trapped in elevators.

"It was mayhem," said Victoria firefighter Patricia Core, quoted by the Times-Colonist.

"Every line was lit up and it was impossible to keep up. It was craziness. I've never seen it like that in here."

For police, the real chaos began after power came back up, Saanich Police Staff Sgt. Gary Schenk told the newspaper.

"I can't remember a power outage of this scope," Schenk said. "We're relieved it was as short as it was."

With files from the Canadian Press