Erie Township power failure is blamed on a squirrel

5/11/2009

ERIE - A squirrel was blamed for a power failure that left 1,846 Consumers Energy customers in Erie Township in the dark for more than eight hours Sunday.

The squirrel that entered the utility's Erie substation tripped overload breakers that protect against short-circuits at about 1:40 p.m., spokesman Bob Gluszewski said. Squirrels occasionally cause electric arcs when jumping or climbing between wires, he said.

Crews had to check for equipment damage before resetting the protective system, he said.

Power was restored about 10 p.m.