A pair of unrelated birds were the culprits behind two Juneau power outages Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday morning, a power outage knocked out electrical service to Douglas, West Juneau, North Douglas and downtown. Alaska Electric Light and Power reported that the outage was likely caused by a bird.
Debbie Driscoll, an AEL&P vice president and spokeswoman for the company, said by phone that line crews didn’t find any sign of the bird, but there has been increased bird activity in the area.
Birds that short-circuit high-voltage electrical lines frequently leave few remains. Power was restored within the hour, Driscoll said, after crews found nothing impeding the power line.
Almost exactly 24 hours later, a wayward crow entered AEL&P’s electrical substation in Salmon Creek. That crow triggered an electrical flash that damaged some of AEL&P’s equipment Monday morning, cutting electrical service to the Salmon Creek and Lemon Creek neighborhoods.
Power was restored within half an hour. The crow did not survive.
Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 419-7732.
