Mass power outage in North Carolina being investigated as ‘criminal occurrence’

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — About 38,000 homes and businesses were in the dark Saturday night after vandals caused a power outage in North Carolina’s Moore County, officials said.

The utility Duke Energy’s website listed no cause for the outages, but the local sheriff’s office said vandalism at power substations was to blame.

“As utility companies began responding to the different substations, evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites,” Moore County Chief Deputy Richard Maness said in a statement.

Sheriff Ronnie Fields said the mass power outage was being investigated as a “criminal occurrence.”

The outages started around 7 p.m. Saturday and were ongoing Sunday morning.

Moore County has 47,000 Duke Energy customers, so 38,000 outages in the county is a large percentage.

Duke Energy’s website listed an estimated restoration time of 10 p.m. Sunday.