Thousands lose power after shooting in South Seattle

SEATTLE — Nearly 8,000 customers in South Seattle lost power shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday when gunshots hit electrical equipment, according to Seattle City Light.

The shooting in the 3900 block of South Warsaw Street also left one person with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Power was restored to all City Light customers in the area by 8:45 p.m. after crews isolated the incident.

The gunshots hit a City Light electrical conduit, which feeds underground cables. Utility crews need to pull the cables out of the ground to make repairs, said Seattle City Light spokesperson Nicole Schultz.

A conduit is common, noncritical infrastructure that is not part of a substation, so City Light was able to move customers to different feeders and restore power in less than two hours, said media relations manager Jenn Strang.

Strang said the gunfire likely hit the ground, damaging the equipment.

Underground crews will make repairs Sunday, but Strang said it was not immediately clear how long repairs will take.

It was also not immediately clear if the suspect, who authorities said had not been located, intentionally damaged the equipment.