If we’re pointing fingers, they can be directed toward an adorable squirrel that was to blame for a power outage in Oregon. The furry fellow caused around 2,000 people to lose power for two hours in the morning on October 18, 2022.
Portland General Electric said that 1,953 customers in East Salem lost power at about 10:42 a.m. Power was then restored to households and businesses a couple of hours later at 12:07 p.m.
It was determined by the power company that a squirrel was to blame for the outage but the specifics of how the outage occurred remained unclear. “Wildlife can contribute to outages in many different ways, unfortunately, it’s not possible to pinpoint the specific cause,” said PGE spokeswoman Marsha Sanchez.
Squirrels have been known to be tricky animals and this isn’t the first time a power outage has happened at the hands of a squirrel. Over 10,000 customers in Virginia lost power in September 2022 when a squirrel came into contact with the station’s equipment.
Source: https://www.salemreporter.com/2022/10/18/squirrel-causes-large-power-outage-in-east-salem-tuesday/