North Carolina county declares state of emergency after "deliberate" attack causes widespread power outage - CBS News

Moore County, North Carolina, has declared a state of emergency as power outages continue after a "deliberate" attack over the weekend in which gunfire damaged two substations.

The attack left roughly 45,000 people without power in North Carolina.

Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy, said Monday that the company had restored power to about 7,000 customers.

About 38,000 remain without power, and Brooks said that it's likely full restoration won't happen until Wednesday or Thursday.

In a press release shared earlier in the day, Duke Energy general manager Jason Hollifield said "the damage is beyond repair in some areas." .

When utility companies responded to the substations, "evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites," Fields said Sunday.

In a press conference held Sunday afternoon, Fields said that the damage had been caused by gunfire.

"We are working with energy companies in local communities to address the situation impacting the power that reaches homes in the targeted neighborhoods," Mayorkas said

On Sunday, the FBI office told CBS News it was "investigating the willful damage to power facilities" in the area, but declined to comment further because the investigation was ongoing. 

On Monday afternoon, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called the attack a "criminal act" in a press conference.