A snake, crawling through a power distribution substation in East Tennessee, caused a fire that knocked out power to about 2,500 households in McMinn County.
Volunteer Energy Cooperative spokesman Robert McCarty said the reptile caused a short circuit which caused an arc and a lot of sparks — and electrocuted the snake.
The substation failed on May 30 and a crew worked about five hours to restore electricity by rerouting service through a Charleston substation.
McCarty said it might take two weeks to repair the damage caused by the fire.
___
Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press,
http://www.timesfreepress.com
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Former Pro Soccer Players Show Brain Changes But No Cognitive Decline 
London Offices Without AC Become ‘Extremely’ Hard to Lease 
Texas Floods, Canada Smoke and Western Heat Batter US 
What Home Age Actually Tells Us About Claims — And What It Doesn’t 
Want to stay up to date?
Get the latest insurance news
sent straight to your inbox.