Utility: Racoon to blame for Springfield power outage

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Utility officials say a racoon is to blame for a power outage that affected Illinois state office buildings in Springfield.

City Water, Light and Power officials say the racoon found its way into an electrical cabinet and damaged equipment, causing the Monday outage in downtown Springfield. The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that about 210 customers were without power and most were restored by Monday afternoon.

The building that houses the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity was closed Monday. Other affected government buildings included the state Treasurer's unclaimed property operations and the Department of Children and Family Services.

Utility officials say the racoon survived.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com