Missoula’s squirrel population decreased by at least three this weekend after knocking out electricity to thousands of city residents.
At one point nearly 15,000 NorthWestern Energy customers lost power for roughly 45 minutes after a squirrel damaged a local substation.
Many Missoula customers temporarily lost their service Saturday morning, Sunday morning and again on Sunday evening.
NorthWestern Energy told Montana Public Radio squirrels are to blame for each disruption, adding that the bushy-tailed rodents are one of the leading causes of power outages.
