Looters Hit Several Vian Businesses During Power Outage

A transformer failure late Wednesday left several thousand OG&E customers in eastern Oklahoma without power, and made them a target of looters.

Deputies were called to assist the Vian Police Department after looters hit two stores and a pharmacy during the power outage, Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart told KFSM TV, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith.

He says his deputies patrolled the streets as OG&E workers restored the power.

No arrests have been made and little details were available, Vian Police Chief Allan Ellis said.

The utility said the transformer failure occurred at a substation and affected 3,000 customers.

Power was restored around midnight.