Gunfire attack on Duke Energy equipment causes fire, power outage in North Carolina

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — The FBI is assisting in an investigation after gunfire damaged Duke Energy power equipment in Durham County leading to a power outage at the Raleigh border, officials said.

The electrical equipment in the 3900 block of Carpenter Pond Road was hit by gunfire sometime in the last week, according to a news release from the FBI.

The gunfire to an electrical transformer caused a “slow oil leak and ultimately igniting a fire,” the FBI said.

Duke Energy said the power outage impacted about 730 customers for about two hours Monday afternoon. The impacted equipment is located in Durham County near Leesville Road just 1,000 feet from Wake County and the Raleigh city limits.

“We are working with law enforcement to investigate the cause of the incident,” Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks told CBS 17.

The FBI said Durham police were called to the scene just before 10:15 a.m. Tuesday.

The recent Duke Energy shooting comes after gunfire attacks on two Moore County electrical substations in early December 2022. Those attacks left around 45,000 Duke Energy customers in the dark for days.

“The investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time,” the FBI said about the Durham County gunfire.

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