If you've experienced a power outage during calm weather conditions at home, it might have been caused by an animal such as a squirrel or a bird either nibbling or coming into contact with the wires.
"A few years back, we experienced a situation where either a raccoon or a fisher cat managed to access some equipment at our facility, which resulted in a complete blackout affecting the entire station," explained Sebastian Pandolfo, who serves as the Electric Field Operations Manager for Eversource. This incident led to power outages for approximately 835 customers in the downtown region. Hartford area work center.
Pandolfo indicates that as warmer temperatures approach, Eversource’s utility workers keep an eye out for signs of animal activity whenever they address power outage issues.
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"Wildlife such as animals, birds, squirrels, or raccoons might trigger an outage if they come into contact with an energized object when perched on something non-energized or grounded, leading to blown fuses and subsequent power disruptions,” clarified Pandolfo.
In 2024, Eversource experienced over 2,000 disruptions caused by animals, ranking just below the number of power outages resulting from trees, making them the second highest cause of such incidents in the state.
Eversource employs a brief plastic or silicone cover to safeguard devices such as reclosers, which are high-voltage switches capable of either interrupting or reinstating electricity flow as needed.
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"Proactively, every piece of new equipment or technology we deploy within the network includes integrated animal safeguards to avoid such incidents," explained Pandolfo.
Tricia Modica, Eversource's spokesperson, mentions that several weeks back, the electric company addressed a power outage caused by animals in Litchfield County, leaving numerous customers without electricity.
"About five thousand customers lost their power, and it turns out the culprit was a raccoon. This particular raccoon managed to get inside the substation near Litchfield, where it interfered with some of the machinery and caused a short circuit," explained Modica.
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Pandolfo states that the more customer feedback Eversource gets, the better equipped the company will be to improve its response to outages and maintain power supply for its customers.
"Definitely, from a customer perspective, providing as much information as possible allows us to react more effectively and promptly restore power," Pandolfo noted.
Eversource utility employees request that customers inform their crew about power disruptions. online or by phone.
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Alyshia Hercules is a versatile journalist for FOX61 News. You can reach her there. AHercules@FOX61.com . Follow her on Facebook or X .
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