NC residents saw a power outage. The reported cause? A black snake.

USA Today

08-05-2025

NC residents saw a power outage. The reported cause? A black snake.
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Over 10,000 people in North Carolina were without power earlier this week due to an unlikely suspect: a snake, according to reports.
North Carolina's Durham area faced a power outage that lasted several hours around 11 p.m. May 5 with a Duke Energy spokesperson telling local media outlets WBTV , WSOC-TV, and WNCN that it may have actually been caused by a snake.
'Crews found a black snake had come into contact with power lines in the substation, which is believed to have been the cause of the outage,' Duke Energy said in a statement to WSOC-TV. An electric substation is a part of an electrical system that transforms voltage, and connects different grids, among other functions.
Power was eventually restored around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, WNCN reported, adding the outage affected Durham, Forsyth, and Gaston. It is not yet known how the snake came into contact with the power line and if it survived. Its species are also not known. Duke Energy did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment on the incident.
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Investigation ongoing to prevent future mishaps
A spokesperson with Duke Energy Jeff Brooks, meanwhile, told WNCN the company believe the snake 'came into contact with our power lines around the substation and caused the outage."
"We put a number of protections in place to help prevent animal related outages, but even with those measures, they do sometimes occur," Brooks told the media outlet, adding they are now investigating how the snake may have entered, so necessary steps can be taken to prevent this from happening in the future.
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Not out of the norm for snakes and other animals to cause power outages
It is not uncommon for snakes and other animals, such as birds, to cause power outages and blackouts. The Nature Conservancy noted that an estimated 13 million people are without power annually in the U.S. due to animal-caused outages.
North Carolina is home to 37 different species of snakes of which six of which are venomous, according to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.