Date: Fri 27-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

fried-squirrels

Full Text:

Lights Out For Squirrels

Some households in Hawleyville and Sandy Hook lost electricity for a few hours

last Sunday morning because of squirrels on the power lines.

CL&P spokesperson Susan Marshall said 414 customers in Brookfield and

Hawleyville lost power at 7:21 am because a squirrel caused a fire which

burned the primary wires. Power was restored at 12:44 pm.

At 7:11 am on Sunday, 89 customers in the Sand Hill Road area of Sandy Hook

lost power when a squirrel caused a fuse to blow on a powerline. Power was

restored by 7:55 am.

"The majority of power outages on nice days are caused by animals -- usually

squirrels or birds -- when they make contact with two wires," Ms Marshall

said. "If they are on one wire it isn't a problem for the animal or CL&P. The

problem happens when they touch a second wire at the same time."

The powerlines had squirrel guards installed on them, but the animals still

managed to get onto the wires, she said.