Squirrel Blamed for Outage, Traffic Jam

VANCOUVER, Wash. - A hungry squirrel has been blamed for a power outage that snarled rush-hour traffic in this city north of Portland, Ore.



Electricity was cut for about an hour Wednesday morning to about 5,145 residential and business customers after the rodent caused a short circuit at a substation.


The outage also affected traffic lights, including one busy intersection, where westbound traffic was backed up for about a mile, Washington State Patrol Trooper Garvin March said.


A substation worker found the remains of a squirrel with a walnut lying nearby, Clark Public Utilities spokesman Mick Shutt said.


"They just get into electrical equipment and in some fashion short the thing out," Shutt said. "They conduct electricity, and that's it."


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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com