UPDATE: Power Restored to 11K PG&E Customers

UPDATE 11:03 A.M.: A squirrel was the culprit behind a power outage that affected more than 11,000 PG&E customers in Walnut Creek and Lafayette Friday morning, according to a utility spokeswoman.

Power has been restored to all 11,562 customers who lost service around 7:45 a.m., PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said.

More than 8,000 customers in the area were without power for about an hour Friday morning, according to utility representatives.

Sarkissian said the outage was apparently caused by a squirrel in Walnut Creek that came into contact with a piece of electrical equipment connected to a bank of transformers.

PG&E sometimes sees similar wildlife-related outages in more rural areas of the state, where the utility has programs in place to prevent animals from disrupting electrical equipment, she said.

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UPDATE 8:45 A.M.: More than 11,000 PG&E customers have been affected by a power outage in Walnut Creek and Lafayette Friday morning, a utility spokesman said.

The outage was reported at 7:43 a.m. and initially affected 11,560 customers - 7,280 in Walnut Creek and 4,280 in Lafayette, PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

Crews responded and have restored power to more than 3,000 customers, but 8,460 remained without power as of shortly after 8:30 a.m., Guidi said.

The cause of the outage is under investigation and there was no estimate yet for when power would be restored to the remaining customers, he said.

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