Everett Power Outage Caused By Copper Thieves

This morning about 8400 customers from Snohomish PUD in west and central Everett lost power. According to Bob Bolerjack with Snohomish PUD around 6:15 this morning, the system that monitors power use saw voltage fluctuations at the Glenwood substation. They remotely took the station offline and began re-routing power to customers. The outage area stretched from the Harborview Park neighborhood on Mukilteo Blvd east to Evergreen Way. All service was restored after about 45 minutes. Crews checking the Glenwood substation found ground wires cut. Bolerjack tells MyEverettNews.com its likely the work of copper thieves. “The thing is, the amount of copper they get is worth almost nothing,” Bolerjack said. “They risk their lives and interrupt power to thousands for very little.”

The PUD is in the process of upgrading security at its 88 substations. Crews from the Everett Street Department are busy re-setting traffic lights on Evergreen Way and Madison. One important reminder…when power is out to the traffic lights, the entire intersection becomes a four-way stop. That seems to have been an issue for a few drivers this morning.