BOSTON (WHDH) - Holiday light displays at Boston Common are going dark and city officials are blaming the outages on squirrels.
City officials said squirrels are attracted to the copper wiring in the lights and are chewing their way through some of the decorations. The city learned of the problem thanks to visitors reporting the outages online. One visitor reported at one point that nearly half the lights on the Common’s Christmas tree had gone out.
“Boston Common is beautiful and I guess the squirrels are trying to enjoy a little more than they should,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Walsh said the contractor responsible for putting up the lights is working on fixing the issue. Privately-raised money goes towards the holiday decorations and Christmas tree on the Common, along with the upkeep.
City officials ask that anyone who notices lights out at the Common to report it to their Twitter account at @Boston311.
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