Three energy substations within the Tacoma, Washington, space had been vandalized Sunday, knocking out energy to round 14,000 prospects, police stated.
The first substation, positioned in Spanaway, Washington, and belonging to Tacoma Public Utilities, was attacked round 5:30 a.m. native time, based on the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Nothing was stolen, however gear was vandalized, resulting in outages within the space, police stated.
A second close by TPU substation was additionally vandalized, police stated.
A substation belonging to Puget Sound Energy was additionally vandalized someday within the early morning, police stated. Power went round 2:30 a.m. native time. Police had been notified round 11:30 a.m., and once they arrived on the scene, they discovered “the fenced area was broken into and the equipment vandalized,” just like the opposite two substations.
No suspects are in custody and it was not instantly clear if all three substations had been vandalized by the identical individual or folks or if the assaults are associated.
As of 11:30 a.m. native time, Tacoma Public Utilities stated that round 2,700 of the 7,300 prospects who misplaced energy had been nonetheless in the dead of night.
The three incidents come lower than a month after somebody opened fireplace on a substation in North Carolina, knocking out energy to some 45,000 folks. The “deliberate” assault raised issues concerning the vulnerability of the U.S. energy grid to sabotage, as many substations are protected by little greater than chainlink fences.
Thanks for studying CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for extra options.