CNN
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A major power outage affecting nearly 40,000 customers in North Carolina’s Moore County is being investigated as a ‘criminal incident’ after crews find signs of potential vandalism at multiple locations , authorities said.
Several communities across the county began experiencing power outages just after 7 p.m. Saturday, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
“As utility companies began responding to the various substations, evidence was uncovered indicating intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites,” the sheriff’s office said.
About 37,998 customers were without power across the county Saturday night, according to Duke Energy’s outage map.
The crews were experiencing “multiple equipment failures” that affected Moore County substations, Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks told CNN affiliate WRAL.
“We are also investigating signs of potential vandalism related to the outages,” Brooks said.
According to the sheriff’s office, Moore County sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers responded to the various sites to provide security.
Moore County is in central North Carolina, about 80 miles northwest of Fayetteville.
