‘Vandalism’ leaves 40,000 without power in North Carolina

A widespread power cut in North Carolina is being investigated as an intentional act of vandalism, authorities say.

Power went out in several communities in Moore County just after 7pm on Saturday, Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said in a Facebook post.

“As utility companies began responding to the different substations, evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites,” the sheriff’s office said.

Utility company Duke Energy said nearly 38,000 customers were without power in Moore County, while the Randolph Electric Membership Corporation reported outages affected nearly 3,000 customers in the county’s southern area, WRAL-TV reported.

Moore County sheriff’s deputies and officers from other law enforcement agencies responded to the different sites to provide security, according to the sheriff’s office.

Moore County is in central North Carolina, about 50 miles northwest of Fayetteville.