3 WA Substations Attacked, Knocking Out Power To 1000s On Christmas

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — The latest in a growing string of attacks targeting power substations struck Christmas morning in Pierce County, knocking out the lights for thousands of homes around Puyallup, Graham and Elk Plain.

Tacoma Public Utilities officials said they learned early Sunday morning that two substations were "deliberately targeted with physical damage," impacting more than 7,000 customers. A third breach impacted Puget Sound Energy customers.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the first call came in just before 5:30 a.m., reporting a burglary at a TPU substation on 46th Avenue East, where deputies found signs of forced entry and damaged equipment, but noted nothing was taken. Detectives then learned of a second, similar incident at another TPU facility on 224th Street East.

Later in the morning, Puget Sound Energy reported that one of its facilities was broken into and damaged before 3 a.m.

The three latest attacks on power infrastructure follow five others publicized earlier this month in the Pacific Northwest, and similar incidents across the nation, prompting FBI investigations and memos shared widely among law enforcement agencies and utility companies.

"Earlier this month, we were alerted by federal law enforcement of a security alert for the electrical grid," TPU officials wrote Sunday. "Tacoma Power follows federal reliability standards, including assessing physical risks to our critical energy infrastructure and applying recommended mitigation measures. In accordance with best practices, we do not share the details of our resiliency and security tactics."

TPU estimated 900 customers were still without power at 6 p.m. on Christmas Day and said crews would work into the night until service was restored to all customers.