At least three power substations were vandalized on Christmas Day in Pierce County, Washington state, according to officials in an update that comes just weeks after another substation was vandalized in North Carolina.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that one Tacoma Public Utilities substation was vandalized in Spanaway, located between Olympia and Tacoma, at around 5:30 a.m. local time on Dec. 25. Police said the incident led to power outages in the area.
A second Tacoma Public Utilities substation was vandalized a short time later, officials said. “Deputies arrived on scene and saw there was forced entry into the fenced area. Nothing had been taken from the substation, but the suspect vandalized the equipment causing a power outage in the area,” deputies wrote on Facebook.
Later on Dec. 25, at around 7 p.m., a Puget Sound Energy substation was vandalized after a fire was reported on-site, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The fire was extinguished and the substation secured. Power was knocked out for homes in Kapowsin and Graham. The suspect(s) gained access to the fenced area and vandalized the equipment which caused the fire,” Pierce County sheriff’s officials said. “There are no suspects in custody at this time.”
It added that “all law enforcement agencies in the county have been notified of the incidents and will be monitoring power substations in their area,” noting that “power has been restored to most of the affected homes.”
In all, about 14,000 customers lost power across the area, the sheriff’s office said. However, power has been restored for most affected people, it said.
A statement released by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said that it “is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems,” adding, “Deputies are currently on scene at this facility where the fenced area was broken into and the equipment vandalized.”
The FBI confirmed that it is aware of the incidents but would not say whether it was taking part in an investigation.
“We do take threats against our infrastructure seriously and urge anyone with information to contact law enforcement,” the FBI told CNN on Sunday.
Temperatures around the Tacoma, Washington, area reached about 55 degrees F on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service.
Other Incidents
The incidents come less than a month after officials said someone opened fire at a substation in North Carolina on Dec. 3, knocking out power to thousands of people for about a week. No suspect has been arrested in the case, and no motive has been given.
The attackers “knew exactly what they were doing,” Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said several weeks ago.
After the shooting at the substation, law enforcement officials in Washington state and Oregon released a warning that state utility systems, too, could become targets.
“Power companies in Oregon and Washington have reported physical attacks on substations, using hand tools, arson, firearms and metal chains possibly in response to an online call for attacks on critical infrastructure,” said a memo issued by law enforcement in Washington state. “In recent attacks, criminal actors bypassed security by cutting the fence links, lighting nearby fires, shooting equipment from a distance or throwing objects over the fence and onto equipment.”
Around the same time, Puget Sound Energy told KING-5 TV in early December that two incidents took place at stations in November.
“We are aware of recent threats on power systems across the country and take these very seriously. We are monitoring our infrastructure and can confirm we have had two incidents occur in late November at two different substations. Both incidents are under investigation by the FBI,” said Puget Sound Energy’s statement.
The new copy cat crime.
Exactly, ‘Son Of Thunder’…..
And the more these types of things are publicized on all the major networks, and even in this forum, the more we’ll be hearing about all the “copy cat” crimes.
IF I had my way, EVERYONE who was involved in this vandalization, would have ALL THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS and other assets stripped, and paid to EVERYONE of those who was impacted by those power outages they caused..
THEN they’d have to sit in a COLD HOME as THEIR HOUSES were permanently removed from the power grid!
Just think how vulnerable wind farms and acres of solar panels are, not just from the elements as we have seen in the past but to saboteurs since they remain pretty much unguarded.
climate nazis remember the movie 12 monkeys?
The more this is publicized, the more it will happen. At least until the reports of arrests for terrorism are also published
AND reports of what punishment is LEVVIED against these currs..
Just stick your head in the sand and you won’t be bothered by what the threats to your happy life might be until it happens and you didn’t have a clue. By all means don’t read the articles that are on the wire services, on network and cable news and in every newspaper in the country, yet you think this article is going to be to blame if your grid goes down.
This is likely an organized group, you know, an actual domestic terrorist group that the FBI is supposed to stop instead of going after Donald Trump. They’re too busy stopping free speech. If it is organized they know they’re doing it and covering it up won’t make them stop.
Instead of complaining because someone is telling you this is happening why not get after your local utilities, your local law enforcement, your state officials, and your federal officials and tell them you want them to get off their duffs and figure out who is doing this. Ask them how they are protecting your local power grid.
Ignoring bad things does not make them go away. Conservatives ignored NYC and California for decades but it didn’t keep their craziness from spreading across the whole country. It’s the left that likes the dark and wants to cover things up, not the right.
Probably done by liberals who think that everyone-except for themselves of course-should go back to living in the Stone Age.