Washington state electrical stations vandalized, cutting power

Washington state authorities said several electrical power stations were vandalized over the holiday weekend, with officials investigating whether they were part of a “coordinated attack.”

In a news release, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) said its deputies were notified in the early morning of three reported burglaries on Sunday at two Tacoma Public Utilities substations and at a Puget Sound Energy (PSE) facility. 

Authorities added that all three energy facilities were broken into and some of the substations’ equipment was either vandalized or damaged during the incident. 

PCSD said at least 14,000 customers saw their power cut off due to the incident. Authorities added it’s unknown if the attack on the substations were “coordinated.” 

“At this time deputies are conducting the initial investigation. We do not have any suspects in custody,” PCSD said in its news release. “It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems.”

The sheriff’s department also said that its deputies received a call about a fire happening at another PSE substation. The fire erupted after intruders gained access through the fenced area and vandalized the station’s equipment. 

PSE employees and local firefighters reported to the scene to extinguish the fire and restore power to residential homes in the area. 

“This is the 4th incident at a Power Substation in South Pierce County on Christmas Day. All law enforcement agencies in the county have been notified of the incidents and will be monitoring power substations in their area,” PCSD said in a statement. “At this time power has been restored to most of the affected homes.”

A similar attack happened at two energy substations in Moore County, N.C., last month, resulting in nearly 40,000 local residents losing power for days, with authorities reporting that the damages to the two Duke ​​Energy substations were caused by gunfire. The FBI has already launched a probe into that case. 

Updated: 6:21 p.m.