Power restored after squirrel sparks Toronto outage

Parts of downtown Toronto were without power for a few hours Wednesday after a squirrel came into contact with a utility pole.

In an email to CBC News, Hydro officials said the outage impacted about 6,500 customers between Rosedale Valley Road and the Gardiner Expressway, and from Church Street to the Don Valley Parkway.

Toronto fire officials told CBC News they were called to the area of King Street and George Street at around 10:40 a.m., after reports of a loud bang and flashes on a utility pole.

Crews found a pole that appeared to have caught fire, and confirmed that a Toronto Hydro transformer had been damaged.

They also found what appeared to be a scorched squirrel and burned cables, officials said, which Toronto Hydro later confirmed.