MOORE COUNTY, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina believe vandalism may have caused the power outage that affected thousands of customers Saturday night.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it was “under investigation as a criminal offense” into mass power outages in multiple communities that began shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday.
“As utility companies began to respond to various substations, evidence was discovered that indicated intentional vandalism occurred at multiple locations,” the sheriff’s office said.
Moore County lawmakers and other law enforcement agencies have responded and are providing security at the affected site, the sheriff’s office said.
Utility company Duke Energy said about 38,000 customers were without power in Moore County, and Randolph Electric Membership Corporation reported that about 3,000 customers in the south of the county were affected by the power outage, WRAL-TV reported. rice field.
Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said the crew had experienced “multiple equipment failures” at the substation and the power company was “investigating signs of potential vandalism related to the outage. ” he said.
Duke Energy said power is expected to be restored on Sunday, but the wait could last until 10 p.m. Brooks said he will update customers as information becomes available, WRAL said. reported.
