Rumors swirled, conspiracies popped up, people began panic buying and many couldn’t reach 911 after someone shot up critical fiber optic cables in a remote area of Arizona
Within minutes of losing cellphone and internet service, residents in a remote swath of Arizona were quick to come up with theories about why.
“I think it’s the government. I don’t trust them,” said one resident in the tiny town of Eagar, a four-hour drive northeast of Phoenix on the Arizona-New Mexico state line.