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What high-tech device caused a large power outage in Australia?

Answer: A delivery drone on power lines.

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This story just keeps escalating. First, a delivery drone landed on some power lines. Then, the drone caught fire. Then, the electrical utility had to shut off the power in order to respond. But at least the food was still hot.

The incident occurred in Brisbane, Australia. The culprit was a food delivery drone from the company Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet. According to a spokesperson from Wing, the drone made a “precautionary controlled landing” and ended up alighting on the power lines. While this didn’t disrupt the power, a spokesperson for the utility, Energex, said that “there was voltage tracking across the drone and the drone caught fire and fell to the ground.”

Wing reported the incident to Energex, and the utility shut off the power while a crew responded. About 2,000 customers were without power for 45 minutes, but for 300 customers the outage lasted for three hours. Energex’s spokesperson, Danny Donald, confirmed that “the meal was still hot inside the drone’s delivery box when the crew got there.”