2 substations damaged by gunfire in NC county where 40,000 customers lost power, fire official says - CNN

CNN  — 

Authorities successful a North Carolina region wherever 40,000 customers mislaid powerfulness accidental 2 powerfulness substations were damaged by gunfire Saturday night.

A gross astatine 1 of the locations besides appears to person been taken disconnected its hinges, Mike Cameron of the Southern Pines Fire and Rescue Department told CNN connected Sunday afternoon.

The powerfulness outage successful Moore County is being investigated arsenic a “criminal occurrence” aft crews recovered signs of imaginable vandalism astatine respective locations, CNN antecedently reported.

Moore County officials person scheduled a property league for 4 p.m. Sunday.

Cameron said the country is experiencing accrued exigency calls owed to the deficiency of power, adding that car accidents person occurred due to the fact that postulation lights are out. People who trust connected oxygen person placed exigency calls, helium said.

Initially, section officials estimated powerfulness would beryllium restored Sunday evening, but Cameron said aft assessing the damage, they’ve determined it could instrumentality astatine slightest until Monday.

The instrumentality that was damaged is not easy replaceable and volition person to beryllium brought successful to marque the repairs, Cameron said.

A section supermarket is distributing crystal to impacted residents, according to property merchandise from market concatenation Harris Teeter.

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Several communities crossed the region began experiencing powerfulness outages conscionable aft 7 p.m. Saturday, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said successful a Facebook post.

“As inferior companies began responding to the antithetic substations, grounds was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred astatine aggregate sites,” the bureau said.

At slightest 2 substations were vandalized “with transgression intent,” US Rep. Richard Hudson said Sunday greeting successful a release.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are responding, according to Hudson. He said the motive remains unknown.

Hudson, whose legislature territory includes Moore County, said the Southern Pines Police Department has opened a assemblage halfway for residents to complaint devices.

CNN has reached retired to Southern Pines constabulary and the FBI.

More than 38,000 customers were without powerfulness crossed the region Sunday morning, according to the Duke Energy outage map. According to poweroutage.us, astir 41,000 customers had mislaid powerfulness successful Moore County and neighboring Hoke County.

Crews were experiencing “multiple instrumentality failures” that are affecting substations successful Moore County, Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks told CNN affiliate WRAL.

“We are besides investigating signs of imaginable vandalism related to the outages,” Brooks said.

Deputies and officers from different instrumentality enforcement agencies responded to the antithetic sites to supply security, according to the sheriff’s office.

Gov. Roy Cooper on Sunday tweeted that authorities instrumentality enforcement would articulation the investigation.

“I person spoken with Duke Energy and authorities instrumentality enforcement officials astir the powerfulness outages successful Moore County. They are investigating and moving to instrumentality energy to those impacted,” Cooper said. “The authorities is providing enactment arsenic needed.”

Moore County is successful cardinal North Carolina, astir 50 miles northwest of Fayetteville.