More substation attacks, this time in Washington state
It's become a weekly occurrence to report attacks on the electrical grid. The latest example comes from Washington state, where at least three substations were vandalized and burnt. By the middle of this week, the case had caught a break: the FBI reported the perpetrators caught; saying the two were intentionally downing stations to carry out a robbery in the affected area, which had left at least 7,000 were without power. A fourth incident was reported by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Christmas Day. Plenty of folks are starting to wonder why this story isn't getting more attention:
"At 7:21 pm, on December 25th, 2022, dispatchers received a call of a fire at the Puget Sound Energy substation at 14320 Kapowsin Hwy E. Deputies, Firefighters and Puget Sound Energy employees responded to the scene," read the statement. "The fire was extinguished and the substation secured. Power was knocked out for homes in Kapowsin and Graham. The suspect(s) gained access to the fenced area and vandalized the equipment which caused the fire. There are no suspects in custody at this time."
The report maintained that this was the fourth incident at a power substation in South Pierce County on Christmas Day. All law enforcement agencies in the county were notified of the incidents and will be monitoring power substations in their area.
At this time power has been restored to most of the affected homes. Anyone who sees someone or something suspicious near a power facility is urged to call 911 and report it right away.
The Washington attacks come on the heels of a series of alarming incidents at the beginning of the month, when multiple Duke Energy substations in North Carolina were shot up by automatic weapons December 3.
National voices are starting to weigh in. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/26/physical-attacks-electrical-grid-peak-00075216?cid=apn