A squirrel that reached a small service line was the culprit of Sunday’s nine-hour blackout. Power was out from around 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Rutledge, Luverne and the outskirts of town.

Sources at the Luverne City Electric Department said the squirrel’s disturbance affected the department’s entire service area for unknown reasons.

“We’ve never had this problem before,” said Buddy Broadway, an official with the city’s utilities department.