Hydro Officials Report 80 Power Outages in Toronto Last Year Due to Squirrels
Squirrels caused approximately 80 power outages in Toronto in 2023 after coming into contact with power equipment, Toronto Hydro reported. This announcement follows a squirrel-related outage on Wednesday that affected about 6,500 people.
In addition, raccoons were responsible for 13 outages, and birds caused around 30 outages in the same year, according to an email from Toronto Hydro.
Wednesday’s outage occurred when a squirrel came into contact with a utility pole, Toronto Hydro officials previously informed CBC News.
The outage affected customers for several hours, spanning the area from Rosedale Valley Road to the Gardiner Expressway, and from Church Street to the Don Valley Parkway.
Toronto Hydro officials stated they implement preventative measures to mitigate animal contact with power equipment, including periodic patrols of feeders and other equipment. They also install enclosures and animal guards on vulnerable equipment.
“While each power outage is unique to its circumstances, outages due to wildlife interference…are resolved on average in under two hours,” spokesperson Daniel McNeil said.
