Power Outage Strikes Thousands In South Nashville After Man Breaks Into Substation

NASHVILLE, TN — Nearly 5,000 Nashville Electric Service customers awoke without power Tuesday morning, caused by a man who broke into the Dunn Avenue substation, police say. Joseph Buhlinger, 43, was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, badly burnt and incoherent.

Shortly before 5 a.m., a passerby called 911 after seeing what he described as an explosion at the substation. As he neared it, he saw a Buhlinger standing atop the substation, screaming and on fire.

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The witness told dispatchers the man's pants were on fire and that sparks were still flying from the substation. The incident cut power to all 4,733 customers served by the substation.

When first responders arrived, they yelled to get Buhlinger to respond before eventually gaining entry to the fenced-off facility and strapping him to a stretcher, from whence he yelled "Where am I? Where am I? How did I get here?", according to reports.

NES was able to restore power by 8:30 a.m.

Metro Police believe Buhlinger was trying to steal copper wire from the station. He was convicted of stealing copper from the same substation in 2015.

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