Snake slithers to South Carolina substation, knocks out power to 4,790

July 7 (UPI) -- A snake that slithered into the wrong section of a South Carolina electrical substation was blamed for knocking out power to nearly 4,800 homes, utility officials said.

Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier released a photo showing a snake dangling from equipment at the Brushy Creek substation Wednesday after knocking out power to 4,790 customers in Greenville County.

"It's not uncommon, especially this time of year, to see something like this happen," Mosier told WYFF-TV.

He said power was out for about an hour and was restored before 7 a.m.

Duke Energy spokeswoman Meghan Musgrave Miles told WSOC-TV snakes are blamed for about 100 power outages each year in the six states where the utility operates. She said the company is taking steps to prevent future incidents, including retrofitting 400,000 transformers with specially designed electric fences to keep snakes and other animals away.