4 Pierce County utility substations vandalized, cutting power to more than 14K on Christmas - KIRO Seattle

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GRAHAM, Wash. — Over 14,000 radical successful Pierce County celebrated Christmas successful the dark.

The Sheriff’s Department says 4 inferior substations were vandalized aboriginal Sunday morning.

“I woke up and the powerfulness was out,” said Thomas Morisada.

“We unrecorded close implicit determination disconnected of 224th and we mislaid power. Actually it’s benignant of been sporadic, it was disconnected beauteous overmuch erstwhile everyone woke up and past it came backmost around, possibly 2 hours agone for similar virtually 10 seconds, and past it went off, and past her ma lives down disconnected 94th Avenue different determination and the aforesaid happening happened to them too,” said Isaiah Williams.

The Safeway connected the country of 224th and Meridian was moving connected a backup generator.

“A batch of lights are out, they are not selling immoderate refrigerated items, nary frozen items,” said Morisada.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says conscionable earlier 5:30 a.m. connected Sunday they received a telephone of a burglary to the Tacoma Public Utilities Substation disconnected 46th Avenue successful Graham.

“When the deputies got there, determination was cipher connected scene, but they saw that the obstruction country had been breached into. In this one, the suspects chopped 1 of the fastener connected the fenced area, made their mode inside, and caused harm to the substation,” said Sgt. Darren Moss Jr., spokesperson with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Shortly aft the sheriff’s section was notified, the substation disconnected 224th Street was besides vandalized. Deputies called Puget Sound Energy, which besides provides powerfulness successful the area, and they confirmed that their substation disconnected 144th Street was besides hit.

“All 3 happened successful the mediate of the night, connected Christmas time causing powerfulness outages, thing was stolen successful those facilities, truthful it’s a bully anticipation they are related,” said Moss.

“If I had to speech to those people, I’d conscionable say, ‘C’mon, it’s Christmas. Why you gonna bash that to people?’” said Morisada.

As of now, they don’t person immoderate fishy leads, and are asking folks who unrecorded adjacent the 3 substations to cheque their information cameras for immoderate suspicious enactment betwixt the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

On Sunday night, a 4th powerfulness presumption was attacked successful Pierce County. When crews arrived astatine the country astatine astir 7:30 p.m., it was connected fire.

The substation is located connected the Kapowsin Highway adjacent Graham wherever it near much than 500 radical successful the country without power.

The origin was reported arsenic vandalism.

Sgt. Moss says deputies volition beryllium monitoring each substations.

If you person immoderate information, you are urged to springiness the sheriff’s section a call.

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