More than 170 utility customers lost power when a fish fell on power lines.
Update at 12 p.m.: The fish is believed to have been a salmon, according to Seattle City Light. A witness apparently saw the fish fall from a bird and hit the power lines.
It was quite the fish fry.
South Seattle customers lost power for more than two hours after a flying (perhaps flopping) fish fell on power lines near the Duwamish River in South Park.
Ospreys and eagles frequently hunt in the area, said Connie McDougall, a Seattle City Light spokeswoman. The fish likely wriggled its way out of becoming lunch Wednesday afternoon, but met a different, unfortunate end.
A witness saw it fall from the sky and hit the power lines in the 1000 block of South Elmgrove Street, McDougall said. In all, 172 customers were affected.
Crews got out there almost immediately and there was … an electrocuted fish” on the ground below. The crew identified the fish as a salmon.
Birds often cause power outages, and City Light expends effort protecting its infrastructure from aerial incursions.
In 2015, 162 birds caused outages and two bald eagles were killed.
A fish tale is a new twist, McDougall said.
“I’ve been at City Light 15 or 16 years. We’ve had a couple encounters with raccoons and certainly birds,” McDougall said. “I’ve never heard of a fish before.”