Vandals Attack 4 Power Substations on Christmas, Leaving 17,000 Without Electricity

KING-TV reported that Vandals attacked four power substations in Pierce County, Washington on Christmas Day. This caused at least 17,000 people to lose their power.

Pierce County sheriff’s deputy received a call at 5:30 AM on Sunday about a burglary at a substation of Tacoma Power Utilities. The authorities arrived on the scene to find that vandals had entered the fencing and damaged the equipment.

Later in the morning, another substation of Tacoma Power Utilities was broken into and damaged. This caused additional power outages.

A third incident at the Puget Sound Energy substation was reported around 11:25 a.m. The attack took place at 2:39 AM, causing power outages for 7,300 customers.

The second substation of Puget Sound Energy was damaged on Sunday evening. According to law enforcement, arsonists set fire to the substation, which caused another 3,000 customers without power for Christmas.

Pierce County Sergeant. Darren Moss stated to KING-TV that they may possibly be related. We will be investigating to determine if the coordinated actions were carried out by any specific group. At this point, we only know that there have been burglaries in which power was deliberately shut off.

Joseph Wilson, Tacoma Power’s distribution manager, stated that they are considering increasing security patrols around substations during national holidays.

Wilson stated that there are ways to make some facilities more resistant, but this is a costly endeavor.

Investigating the recent attacks is currently underway. Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputies stated that they don’t have any suspects and are reluctant to label the recent attacks as domestic terrorist acts.

But that didn’t stop media outlets from basing their accusations on the “extreme right” wing, likely due to a Department of Homeland Security terrorism advisory bulletin.

DHS warned that “threat agents could exploit many upcoming events to justify/commit acts of violence, including certificates related to the midterm election, the holiday season, large gatherings, marking of two years since January 6, 2021’s breach of the U.S. Capitol, and potential sociopolitical developments associated with ideological beliefs or personal hostility.”

The bulletin stated that potential targets of violence include public gatherings and faith-based institutions, LGBTQI+ communities, schools, racial or religious minorities, and government facilities and personnel. U.S. critical infrastructure is also included.

Ali Winston, an independent journalist, stated to KING-TV that the American extreme right-wing has a long history of using the trope of attacking power infrastructure and hitting the electrical grid as a tactic.

Washington law enforcement officials claim that the FBI warned authorities of similar attacks on power stations in the Pacific Northwest after a string of vandalism.

Two Puget Sound Energy stations were attacked by bad actors in November. Bonneville Power Administration reports that a substation in Clackamas, Oregon was vandalized on Thanksgiving morning.

Two North Carolina electrical substations were damaged in an earlier accident, leaving 45,000 people without power.