USA, Missouri, West Plains: A “rogue squirrel” caused a Christmas-morning power outage in West Plains, leaving 1,144 households without electricity, according to Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts. The outage also affected the Howell County Sheriff’s Office, which was without power and phone lines for around 30 minutes.
City officials said utility crews were sent to the Lincoln Substation at 8:53 a.m., where the entire facility had gone offline. The city confirmed the outage was caused by a squirrel coming into contact with a regulator.
Crews restored power by 9:33 a.m. At the Sheriff’s Office, a backup generator initially failed but was repaired by 9:30 a.m., and full power was restored by 9:45 a.m., the Sheriff reported.
The incident highlights how even small wildlife can interrupt local electricity supply, particularly during peak holiday hours.
Source: Howell County News
