Roughly 15,000 people in Washington state woke up without power Christmas morning after three substations were vandalized in the early hours.
The vandalism began as early as 2:30 a.m. Sunday when a substation controlled by Puget Sound Energy was damaged and lost power. About 7,700 customers lost power, but had it restored by 5 a.m., according to a company spokesperson.
The vandalism comes as federal officials warn that the power grid is vulnerable to domestic terrorism. A US Homeland Security report warned that extremists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020.
