Squirrel Blamed for Power Outage Affecting 1,000 Households in Taichung

A power outage in Taichung's Shiqiu district disrupted daily life for about a thousand households on Tuesday morning. The unexpected blackout, which began around 6 a.m., caused significant inconvenience, with residents unable to open their garage doors and factory operations halted. Local leaders quickly mobilized, with the village chief of Jiufang reporting sparks and smoke from high-voltage wires. Upon investigation, a burnt squirrel was found on the ground, strongly suggesting it had come into contact with power equipment and caused the outage. Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) confirmed that a squirrel's contact with electrical equipment led to the disruption. The incident caused a brief 7-second system interruption followed by an automatic restart, but the damage necessitated repairs. Taipower dispatched personnel to restore power, which was fully reinstated by 9:45 a.m. The outage affected several villages, including Shiqiu, Wan'an, Jiufang, and Wanxing. Local police assisted in directing traffic at intersections where traffic signals had failed due to the power loss, highlighting the cascading impact of the incident.

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The power flickered once at home, and within two minutes, the electricity went out. Later, I heard fire trucks responding. Residents reported sparks and white smoke from the high-voltage wires on Shiqiu Street.