With no suspects or motives announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to be caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left about 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, causing curfew and declaration of emergency.   

  A massive outage in Moore County turned into a criminal investigation after emergency crews found signs of possible equipment vandalism at different locations — including two substations that had been destroyed by fire, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.   

  “The person or persons who did this knew exactly what they were doing,” Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said during a news conference Sunday.  “We have no idea why Moore County.”   

  Fields said multiple shots were fired at the two substations.  “It was targeted, it wasn’t random,” he said.   

  The sheriff would not say whether the criminal activity was domestic terrorism, but noted that “no group has come forward to identify or accept that they are the ones who [did] the.”   

  Authorities announced a mandatory 9pm to 5am curfew starting Sunday night, with Fields saying the decision was made to protect residents and businesses.   

  In addition to the FBI, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was involved in the investigation, officials said.   

  More than 33,000 customers were still in the dark across the county Sunday afternoon, Duke Energy’s outage map showed.  For some, the outage could stretch into Thursday, officials said, disrupting life for tens of thousands.   

  All schools in the county will remain closed on Monday, and authorities have opened a generator-powered shelter.   

  Traffic lights are also down, and while some generator stores were able to open their doors, several businesses and churches in Moore County were closed Sunday, CNN affiliate WRAL reported.   

  “We were just getting over Covid.  And now this,” the sheriff said, adding, “It’s going to hurt all of our restaurants and businesses.”   

  Inside people’s homes, it has become difficult to keep the cold out.   

  “We have a six-month-old baby at home.  We’ve run out of heat.  We’re trying to get her heat,” Carthage resident Chris Thompson told WRAL.   

  Cool temperatures, with lows in the 30s, were expected in the area Sunday night with highs in the 50s and a chance of rain Monday, according to the National Weather Service.  Moore County is located in central North Carolina, about 50 miles northwest of Fayetteville.   
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  The estimated cost of substation damage is in the millions, the sheriff said Sunday.   

  The damage was significant and rerouting power is not an option, said Jeff Brooks, Duke Energy’s principal communications officer.   

  “The equipment will have to be replaced,” Brooks said.  “We are pursuing multiple rehabilitation pathways so that we can rehabilitate as many customers as possible.  Recognizing this, we are looking at a fairly sophisticated repair with quite a bit of equipment.”   

  In addition to the fire damage to the substations, a gate at one of the sites appears to have been removed from its hinges, Asst.  Southern Pines Fire and Rescue Chief Mike Cameron told CNN.   

  While it’s unclear what prompted the alleged vandalism, the sheriff on Sunday addressed rumors circulating on social media that the attack was an attempt to disrupt a local drag show.   

  Fields said investigators “were unable to connect anything to the drag show,” which was scheduled to take place in the town of Southern Pines at 7 p.m. Saturday, around the time the power went out.   

  The county declared a state of emergency to protect residents and property and maintain public services, authorities said.  A countywide curfew is expected to remain in place nightly while the state of emergency is in effect.   

  “It’s going to be very, very dark and cold tonight, and we don’t need to have anybody on the streets and that’s the reason for our curfew,” North Carolina state Sen. Tom McInnis said during the news conference.  “Please stay home tonight…the roads are dangerous.”   

  The emergency order also encourages residents to conserve fuel.   

  With roads in darkness, the area has seen an increase in emergency calls and reported accidents involving vehicles because the lights are out, Cameron told CNN.   

  People relying on oxygen have also made emergency calls, he added.   

  A shelter has been opened at the Moore County Sports Complex and trailers with bathrooms and showers are being moved in, Moore County Manager Wayne Vest said.   

  As for schools, it’s unclear how long campuses will remain closed.  Moore County Superintendent Tim Locklear said decisions about school openings for the rest of the week will be made on a daily basis.