A Squirrel Fries in Brockton

Brockton, the city of champions, was in the dark yesterday. A squirrel hit the National Grid substation and was electrocuted yesterday causing a power outage for 13,000 electric customers which lasted for nearly two hours. The Boston Herald reports that in 2004 the same scenario caused a power outage at the same substation. One might suggest that they put up a fence or netting around the area to prevent squirrel infiltration. It's fall and the acorns have been hitting the ground. Squirrels are hording them away for the winter before they hibernate for the cold months – but apparently one was looking for a little warmth a little early. It is surprising that such a small animal can cause such a problem for electricity customers, but perhaps even more surprising that it doesn't happen more often.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Andrei Shevelov