Utility crews Wednesday night were aiming to restore power to Iroquois Point after the main electrical substation serving the area was taken down Wednesday afternoon by a rat.

Hawaiian Electric spokeswoman Shannon Tangonan said crews were working to install a mobile substation to serve the neighborhood situated on the Ewa-side entrance to Pearl Harbor channel.

Tangonan said the utility started getting reports of the outage at about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

An investigation found that a rat had gotten into the Iroquois Point substation equipment, causing fuses to blow and the complete loss of power to the Kapilina Beach Homes, she said.

HECO provides service up to and including the transformer, officials said, while the electrical infrastructure in the community is serviced by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii.

“Replacing a substation transformer is a lengthy process,” Tangonan said in an email. “Most circuits have a backup, but this area is former military housing where no backup exists, making it an unusual situation.”

Hawaiian Electric said crews installed the mobile substation for the military to start restoring power after 9 p.m. Once HECO is done, NAVFAC will be able to restore power to the oceanfront community with more than 3,000 people and homes built in the early 1960s.

Kapilina Beach Homes advised residents to check their renter’s insurance for opportunities to get compensation for spoiled food.