Residents were left scratching their heads—and flipping their light switches in vain—after a sudden, late-night power outage cut off electricity to over 10,000 homes earlier this week.

The suspected culprit? Not a storm, not a blown transformer… but a slithering surprise that had utility crews doing a double take.



According to Duke Energy, the widespread blackout that swept through Durham, Forsyth, and Gaston counties on the night of May 5 may have been caused by a black snake that came into contact with high-voltage equipment at a local substation.

Power was fully restored around 1:30 a.m., but by then, the oddity of the situation had already sparked plenty of chatter.

"We put a number of protections in place to help prevent animal-related outages," said Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks, “but even with those measures, they do sometimes occur.”

One Snake, 10,000+ Without Power​

Electric substations play a critical role in keeping our lights on, but they’re also tempting terrain for curious wildlife.

The black snake—whose species has not yet been confirmed—reportedly made contact with power lines inside the substation, causing a chain reaction that triggered the outage.

It’s unclear how the animal accessed the protected area or if it survived the incident.

Duke Energy has launched an investigation into how the reptile managed to bypass existing safeguards, and whether further precautions can be added to prevent another cold-blooded blackout.

It Happens More Often Than You’d Think​

As bizarre as it sounds, animal-caused outages are more common than many realize.

According to The Nature Conservancy, an estimated 13 million people lose power every year in the US due to animal interference. Birds, squirrels, raccoons—and yes, snakes—are all frequent offenders.

North Carolina alone is home to 37 species of snakes, including six venomous types.

With warm weather encouraging more movement and exploration among wildlife, incidents like this are more likely during spring and summer months.

What’s Being Done?​

Utility companies nationwide employ various methods to keep animals away from sensitive equipment—barriers, netting, and deterrent devices among them.

But wildlife is, by nature, unpredictable. As Duke Energy works to determine exactly what went wrong, they’re also revisiting protocols to ensure that one unexpected visitor doesn’t cut the lights for thousands again.



Read more:

• Shocking discovery: A deadly snake lurking in boxes–Could you be at risk?
• Major disruption at airport throws travel plans into disarray–Here’s what we know.

Have you witnessed animals causing chaos around your neighborhood power lines or backyard transformers? Let us know in the comments. Sometimes, it’s not the weather that causes the blackout—it’s what slithers in behind the scenes.