Raccoon responsible for cutting power to thousands in Milwaukee County over the weekend

As if raccoons weren’t enough of a pest for getting into trash cans, thousands of people in southern Milwaukee County have another reason to dislike them.

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, just after 9 PM, WE Energies says a raccoon touched an area of wires near Ryan Road in the City of Oak Creek, and shorted out the power for about 16,000 people. Power was restored to about half the outage area within an hour while the rest was restored by midnight.