Squirrel Zaps Power Along U.S. 1 In Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- A squirrel left nearly 8,300 people without power Wednesday morning after it got into a Florida Power & Light Co. substation and shorted out the equipment, according to officials.
The power outage left customers and businesses without power in the Eau Gallie area at about 9 a.m., according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.
Traffic lights along the U.S. 1 corridor were also out for thousands of motorists on their morning commutes, according to the report.
Power was restored by FPL by 9:15 a.m. after workers repaired equipment at a substation located north of Aurora Road and east of U.S. 1. The substation, about the size of a small house and protected by barriers, is used to distribute power to the immediate area.
"A squirrel somehow made it past the barrier and got into the actual electrical equipment and shorted it out," FPL spokeswoman Sandy Sanderson told Local 6 News.
"The animal was electrocuted," he added.
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Tell me it's not another squirrel.