Squirrel causes power outage for more than 1,200
10/1/2014McCOMB, Ohio -- A squirrel’s mishap in a utility substation today left more than 1,200 American Electric Power Co. customers without electricity for hours.
Most of those without electricity were in the village of McComb and surrounding areas of Hancock County, with about 180 customers in southern Wood County.
The first customer called at 4:26 p.m. to report an outage, said Dave Wheeler, a utility spokesman. And the power went out, the utility discovered, because a squirrel leaped from one transformer to another, creating an arc that destroyed a switch meant to ensure the two devices were not connected, Mr. Wheeler said. The squirrel did not survive.
The switch had to be replaced, he said. Power was restored by 11:15 p.m., according to AEP Ohio's Web site.