After a snake entered an electric substation and fried itself, around 10,000 homes in Japan's Koriyama City lost power. Officials managed to find the burning remains of the reptile inside a piece of machinery.
A large part of the city lost power at 2.10 in the afternoon, which is the hottest time of the day. Investigators from the Tohoku Electric Power company traced the origin of the problem within an hour, reported Newsweek.
The snake came in contact with a live wire when it entered the machine and triggered smoke alarms. The short circuit triggered an automatic shutdown as per safety protocol.
Six fire trucks raced to the scene fearing a fire in the substation.
Many residents have expressed surprise at how easy it was for the city's power facilities to fail on a difficult day. Some opined that the infrastructure indispensable to people's lives should be better protected. Others joked that the power company should apologise to the snake's family and compensate them.