RCMP investigate after electric substation shot at, causing oil leak and power outage

An investigation is underway after an electricity substation near the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary was shot at early Monday, spilling oil and leaving thousands in the dark.

RCMP say they responded to a ``firearms-related'' call at an Atco substation in Lloydminster, a town straddling the provincial boundary. They say the facility was shot at and a bullet hit an oil tank, knocking out power to more than 2,500 residents for at least three hours and releasing roughly 20,000 litres of oil.

Preliminary estimates place the cost of damage and environmental cleanup at about $1.1 million.

Police are also investigating several break-ins that took place during the outage, but there's no evidence to suggest they are connected.

A spokesperson for Atco Energy did not immediately return a request for comment.