Thousands of East Pierce County residents woke up Tuesday to a rude surprise: no lights, no coffee makers, and a whole lot of blinking alarm clocks. A small but very disruptive raccoon made contact with a transmission line, cutting power to neighborhoods in Bonney Lake, Sumner and Puyallup. Puget Sound Energy crews scrambled to isolate the fault and reroute electricity while traffic signals, homes and schools felt the ripple effects.
Hey there, Sumner, it looks like quite a few of us are in the dark this morning. Follow @PSETalk outage map for updates and treat dark intersections as 4-way stops.
— Sumner, Washington (@CityOfSumnerWA) April 21, 2026
Officials say a raccoon touched a transmission line
According to The News Tribune, Puget Sound Energy spokesperson Gerald Tracy said a raccoon got into a transmission line that feeds a substation serving Bonney Lake, Sumner and Puyallup, and the animal was still alive after the incident. Crews isolated the damaged segment and began rerouting power to shrink the outage footprint while damage assessors evaluated what equipment would need repairs.
How many customers were affected and when power could return
Local TV and utility data show the outage spanned multiple feeders, with KIRO 7 reporting seven active outages affecting roughly 6,472 customers across the area. Per Puget Sound Energy's outage map, about 4,153 people were without power in Sumner and Alderton had 1,705 customers out as of 8:11 a.m. Many neighborhoods began seeing service come back within the hour, and local reports said crews expected widespread restoration by 9 a.m.
Schools, roads and safety
The City of Sumner posted on X urging drivers to treat dark intersections as four-way stops and to take extra care near traffic signals that were not working. Cascade Christian Schools told families its Pioneer and McAlder campuses would open two hours late because of the outages, according to The News Tribune. Officials also reminded residents to steer clear of any downed lines and report hazards.
Why animals still trip the grid
Wildlife, especially small mammals like squirrels and raccoons and a variety of birds, are a surprisingly common cause of localized outages when they bridge conductors or get inside substation gear, utility studies show. A technical review of fault causes and utility surveys, summarized on ResearchGate, finds mammals account for a large share of animal-caused faults, which is why utilities invest in animal guards and other mitigation measures.
How crews respond
Puget Sound Energy says crews first assess safety, prioritize high-voltage transmission lines and essential services, then assign field teams to isolate and repair damage before restoring distribution circuits. Estimated restoration times are updated on the outage map as crews get a clearer picture of what failed. That staged approach is why a single transmission fault feeding a substation can temporarily darken large sections of town even when the underlying damage is limited.
If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized, call 911, report outages to Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773 and check the outage map for updates. This story will be updated as crews report back and service is restored.
