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City staff: rat caused arc flash and major damage at municipal shops; repairs underway
Summary
Public works manager Sandra Place told the council an animal contacted multiple phases of a three-phase electrical system, creating an arc flash that destroyed switchgear and temporarily knocked out power to city shops; replacement switchgear may take 20–26 weeks to procure and a cost estimate was not yet available.
Public works administration manager Sandra Place reported to the Oak Harbor City Council on July 21 that a power outage at city municipal shops was caused when a rodent made contact with two different phases in a three-phase electrical system, producing an arc flash that vaporized the animal and severely damaged switchgear.
"The rat made the mistake of touching 2 different phases at the same time in a 3 phase electrical system, creating a phase to phase short circuit," Place said. She described how the arc produced extreme heat that "vaporized not only the rat, but it also the metal housing of the generator switchgear," leaving a foot-by-foot hole and destroying the switchgear unit.
Place said the city called the utility (PSC) and an on-call generator company to restore power; crews repaired two of the three damaged phases and installed a replacement transformer to return service. She said the third damaged phase required replacement switchgear that may have a lead time of 20–26 weeks. Staff estimated repairs were underway but that a total damage cost was not yet available; Place said the city has a replacement fund and that funds helped absorb immediate needs.
Public-safety and operational steps were discussed: the outage prompted a building evacuation when an alarm sounded, the Oak Harbor Fire Department inspected the site, and staff implemented interim fueling and power plans. Place said staff will review and seal conduit to reduce the risk of future animal intrusions into electrical enclosures.
Mayor Wright and council members thanked staff for the response; the city will provide a damage-cost estimate once procurement and repair bids are known.
