Three power substations vandalized in Washington, knocking out power for 14,000

Three substations in the Tacoma, Wash., area were destroyed on Sunday, cutting power to about 14,000 customers, police said.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the first substation, located in Spanaway, Washington and belonging to the Tacoma Public Utility, was attacked around 5:30 a.m. local time. Nothing was stolen, but the equipment was destroyed, leading to a power outage in the area, police said.

A second nearby TPU substation was also destroyed, police said.

A Puget Sound Energy substation was also destroyed early in the morning, police said. Power came on around 2:30 am local time. Police were called around 11:30 a.m. and, upon arriving at the scene, found that “the fenced area had been breached and equipment destroyed,” as had two other substations.

No suspects were in custody, and it was not immediately clear whether all three substations were destroyed by the same person or whether the attacks were related.

As of 11:30 a.m. local time, Tacoma Utilities said approximately 2,700 of its 7,300 customers who lost power were still in darkness.

The three incidents happened less than a month after someone else’s. Fire at substation in North Carolina, powering about 45,000 people. A “deliberate” attack U.S. Power Grid Vulnerability Many substations are only protected by chain link fences, so sabotage must be done.