Thousands of Toronto residents were without power for several hours Thursday evening.
According to Hydro One, a furry animal was the culprit of the power outage.
“Crews have determined that a raccoon made contact with our equipment at a downtown Toronto station. We’re in the process of working with @torontohydro to restore power. We appreciate everyone’s patience,” Hydro One said.
UPDATE: Crews have determined that a raccoon made contact with our equipment at a downtown Toronto station. We’re in the process of working with @torontohydro to restore power. We appreciate everyone’s patience. pic.twitter.com/zh6IItN0Tq
— Hydro One (@HydroOne) February 2, 2024
“The outage began at about 7:40 p.m. but all power was restored by about 10:20 p.m.,” CBC reports.
About 7,000 Hydro customers were impacted by the power outage.
🚨#BREAKING: A Raccoon has Caused a large Power Outage, Plunging part of Downtown Darkness⁰⁰ 📌#Toronto | #Canada
Currently, thousands of people are without power after officials report that a raccoon made contact with electrical equipment, causing a blackout in part of… pic.twitter.com/fhYEI2X3DV
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 2, 2024
CBC reports:
The utility said customers in the following boundaries were affected: St. Clair Avenue West to Gerrard Street West and Avenue Road to the Don Valley Parkway.
Hydro One said on X, formerly Twitter, that the outage was on its transmission system that affects Toronto Hydro.
“Crews have determined that a raccoon made contact with our equipment at a downtown Toronto station,” Hydro One said.
Toronto Fire Services said on X that it responded to elevator rescues in about seven buildings. No injuries were reported.
A raccoon has knocked out power for thousands of people in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/VKYmj05q8A
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 2, 2024
WATCH: A raccoon has reportedly caused large power outage in Toronto, Canada – thousands of people affected
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 2, 2024
From Global News:
With nothing to direct movement at the busy Bloor and Yonge Street intersection, drivers edged cautiously through the area, while beneath them, commuters traversed darkened subway platforms with the help of emergency lights.
Toronto Hydro says the affected area stretched from St. Clair Avenue West to Gerrard Street West, and Avenue Road to the Don Valley Parkway.
There was no immediate word on the condition of the raccoon.
Toronto Fire Services says its crews were responding to a higher number of elevator rescues in the downtown core, and advised people to consider using stairs where power is out.
Toronto Hydro said Thursday night that all power had been restored.