Several residents of Richmond County are in the dark following a massive power outage in Moore County.
Sheriff Ronnie Fields confirmed during a press conference Sunday that damage was done with firearms to at least two Duke Energy substations in Moore County.
Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy said one substation went offline between 7 and 8 .m. Saturday evening and damaged multiple pieces of equipment.
Shortly after, another substation was hit, Brooks said.
According to the Duke Energy outage map, nearly 38,000 customers in Moore County are without power.
The outage includes Seven Lakes, West End, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Whispering Pines and Carthage.
There are also 65 customers in Richmond County without power, mostly in the Derby area.
Brooks said that unlike during a storm, rerouting power “is not an option.”
He added that crews are working to restore power to as many customers as quickly as possible, but it will be a multi-day restoration.
“It’s going to take some time,” the sheriff said.
There has been speculation on social media that the attack was in response to a drag show, however, the sheriff said investigators have not yet been able to provide a link and a motive is currently unclear.
Fields said whoever is responsible “knew exactly what they were doing.”
While he acknowledged the act was intentional, Fields was reluctant to confirm it was “domestic terrorism.”
The Moore County Sheriff’s office, along with the local police departments, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are working to determine what happened and why, according to Fields.
“This is a terrible act,” said Sen. Tom McInnis, R-Moore, who added that the perpetrator, or perpetrators, will “be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Moore County is under a curfew and McInnis encouraged everyone to stay home if it wasn’t absoultely necessary.
Moore County Schools Superintendent Tim Locklear said that schools would be closed on Monday and that the district would take it day-by-day in determining future closures.
Extra security is being provided at the substations by law enforcement.
