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Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-2586

Squirrel causes transformer fire and outage on Nebraska campus

Oct 2024Published 27 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorElectrical
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Lincoln Electric System

What happened

On a Tuesday morning in October 2024, a transformer on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln city campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, failed and exploded at about 8:45 a.m. Lincoln Fire and Rescue was called to North 14th and Avery Street, beside a parking garage. According to a public information officer quoted by KLIN, a squirrel had entered the transformer, causing a fire inside it and the unit to blow. The transformer sustained minor damage.

The outage left several people to be rescued from elevators by crews, and nearby traffic lights and residence halls lost power briefly. Up to 3,400 Lincoln Electric System (LES) customers were without power at the peak. No human injuries were reported. LES restored all power around 10 a.m.

Contributing factors

A squirrel entered the transformer, which the source says caused the fire. The source does not say whether the transformer enclosure had animal guards or whether any protection was in place.

Lessons learned

  1. Inspect and seal transformer enclosures, bushings and cable entries against small animal entry, particularly for units in urban, campus and parking-structure locations.
  2. Plan for knock-on effects such as elevator entrapments and traffic signal outages when a local transformer fails near occupied buildings, and prioritise rescue of trapped people.
  3. Log animal-related faults in asset records so that operators can target mitigation at the sites and equipment types most affected.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

klin.com

Published 2026-10-27. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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