This story has been updated with a response from Xfinity.

A severed cable in the 200 block of North Main Avenue in Kankakee was the cause of an estimated eight-hour loss of internet services within Kankakee County.

As of late Friday afternoon, the service had been fully restored.

Kankakee Deputy Police Chief Donell Austin said that the outage was “definitely done purposely.”

An Xfinity spokesman noted that the outage was caused by an “act of vandalism.”

According to a Kankakee police report, the company estimated damage at $100,000.

When workers arrived at the location about 5 a.m., they found that two fiber-optic cables had been intentionally cut and wrapped around the pole’s base.

Kankakee police encouraged anyone with information to call the Investigations Division at 815-933-0426.

Austin said the service line is an inch or so thick, meaning it is a significant line.

Early reports indicated that more than 2,000 accounts within Kankakee County were without internet services almost all morning, according to the Xfinity outage map.

Austin said an investigation is underway. As of about noon Friday, a suspect had not been identified, he said.

Camera footage monitoring the area would be reviewed, Austin said, adding that there is no question the damage was not caused by an act of nature or an animal.

He said this incident likely was not random.

“You would have to have knowledge of this to do this kind of damage,” Austin said. “There was a significant amount of damage. Someone had knowledge of what it was and where it was” in regard to the service line.

How the line was cut has not been reported.

Teddy Bailey, a spokesman with Comcast, said crews were working diligently to restore services “following an act of vandalism” in Kankakee.

“Our crews responded quickly and have restored service to a majority of affected customers,” Bailey said in an email to The Journal. “We are working with local authorities and will continue efforts to fully restore service to the remaining customers as soon as possible.”