Tens of thousands of residents in rural North Carolina could be without electricity for days after gunfire seriously damaged two power substations.

The Saturday attack on the substations — located in Moore County, about 90 miles east of Charlotte — “wasn’t random,” said Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields. Someone drove up and “opened fire on the substation, the same thing with the other one,” Fields told reporters.

About 45,000 households and businesses remained without electricity Sunday, as temperatures were forecast to drop below freezing. The county declared a state of emergency, setting a curfew Sunday night and closing schools Monday.

Continue reading: Gunfire on N.C. substations causes widespread power outages – E&E News (eenews.net)