Squirrel Disrupts Power in Grand Rapids Area

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Power was restored to thousands of customers on Monday morning after a squirrel caused a disruption at the Wealthy Street Substation, according to Consumers Energy.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., 1,385 customers lost electricity in southwest Grand Rapids, affecting areas east of the Grand River to Haynes Avenue and north of Hall Street. Additionally, another 1,871 customers experienced outages in an area south of Bridge Street and north of Wealthy Street, also west of the Grand River.

A spokeswoman for Consumers Energy confirmed that power was back on by 11 a.m. The outages affected a significant number of residents during the mid-morning hours.

Consumers Energy attributed the incident to wildlife interference, a situation that can occasionally occur at substations.

Officials encourage residents to report any further outages or issues promptly to ensure swift responses in the future.