Squirrel Scurries Over Transformer, Causes Black Outs Around South Carolina City

Parts of Columbia, South Carolina experienced power outages Monday, all thanks to a squirrel. The sneaky critter had somehow scurried across a Dominion Energy transformer and damaged it.

Unfortunately, the squirrel did not live to tell the tale, spokesperson Matt Long of the power company said.

“There’s a lot of energy going through that equipment,” Long said, according to the Associated Press. “Usually, let’s say if an animal touches an energized part and a grounded part, that would create a current flow through the animal’s body and stop its heart from beating.”

He added that while he’s not sure if that’s what happened, a fall after the shock could have also led to the squirrel's death.

Meanwhile, another power outage in the city occurred after a dump truck hit some wires.

Even though nearly 1,800 people in the city had no power for a period of time, power has since been restored, Long said.

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