March 17--Several high-rise buildings experienced a power outage Monday evening in the Lakeview East neighborhood after a wild animal damaged a piece of electrical equipment, officials said.
About 1,600 customers were affected by the outage in the area of Broadway and Cornelia Avenue, said ComEd spokesman David O'Dowd.
As of about 4:30 a.m., electricity was restored for all customers, according to ComEd's Twitter feed.
O'Dowd said a small animal, possibly a raccoon or a rat, damaged a switch-gear box in the area, which halted power to two lines around 8:10 p.m. One line affected about 1,300 customers and the other caused an outage for about 300 more, he said.
Fire Department officials responded and checked elevators in the buildings for trapped people, said Larry Langford, a Fire Department spokesman. As of about 10 p.m., the power was out in at least three high-rise buildings in the 3100 block of North Sheridan Road, Langford said.
