Thousands lose power after burglars take out four substations in Washington state

Thousands of Washington state residents were left without power after four electrical substations were vandalized, local authorities said on Sunday. 

Robberies were reported at two substations belonging to Tacoma Public Utilities on Sunday morning and another belonging to Puget Sound Energy, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. A fourth substation was set on fire on Sunday evening. 

"There's a good possibility they are related, we are going to be investigating to see if this was coordinated by a specific group of people, but at this time all we know is that we have burglaries where the power was purposefully knocked out," Pierce County Sgt. Darren Moss told KING 5.

The vandals allegedly forced their entry into the substations’ fenced-in area and vandalized the equipment. However, the suspects did not steal anything, police added. 

"At this time deputies are conducting the initial investigation. We do not have any suspects in custody. It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems," the department said in a statement on its website.

More than 17,000 customers were left without power despite the massive storm that has brought freezing temperatures to over 60% of the nation. By midday on Sunday, around 2,700 people remained without power. 

"We are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power," said a post by Tacoma Public Utilities, noting that its substations "were attacked." 

Earlier this month, two utility stations in North Carolina were attacked by individuals with apparent criminal intent. More than 45,000 customers were left without power and struggling to keep warm during cold temperatures.