Utility: Two substations are attacked in Washington State

(Reuters) Thousands were without power in Tacoma after two substations were attacked.

“Early today, two Tacoma Power substations were attacked in east Pierce County. Tacoma Public Utilities posted a tweet on Twitter saying that law enforcement had been notified. The utility did not provide any additional details on the nature of the attack on Christmas Day.

Tacoma Public Utilities was able to service approximately 2,700 people after the initial 7,300 residents lost power. It is located 45 miles (72km), south of Seattle. It said that they are working quickly and safely to restore power.

An outage was reported by a North Carolina utility earlier this month. It was caused by what local authorities called orchestrated shootings. Federal law enforcement is investigating.

The FBI also investigated shots fired at a South Carolina power station days later. NBC News, as well as other local media, reported that the FBI was investigating whether these incidents could be related.

The severe cold system that battered the country this week left more than 300,000. It has caused major disruptions to utilities across the nation.

(Reporting and Editing by Susan Heavey; Editing By Leslie Adler