Raccoon causes multistate power outage
Crews responded quickly, restoring power to 5,400 customers within 35 minutes by rerouting electricity.
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A curious raccoon is to blame for a power outage that affected thousands of customers across New Jersey and New York early Sunday morning.
According to Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative (SREC), the animal made contact with high-voltage equipment inside one of their substations at approximately 4:45 a.m. on Sunday. The resulting explosion knocked out power to about 6,700 customers including 167 in Orange County, New York.
Crews responded quickly, restoring power to 5,400 customers within 35 minutes by rerouting electricity. Full service was restored to the remaining 1,300 customers by 8:10 a.m.
SREC released the video of the incident to raise awareness about the dangers of electricity and the challenges utilities face in preventing wildlife-related outages. “We use many different tools to deter squirrels, birds, and other animals, such as guards and wire covers,” the company said in a statement. “But animals are naturally curious and sometimes determined to get into our equipment.”
The company noted that animals are the second leading cause of power outages in New York, following storms and falling trees. Other wildlife, including snakes and even bears, have also been known to interfere with electrical infrastructure.
