About 1,255 Hermiston utility customers lost power at 12:15 a.m. today when a snake made its way through protective fencing and damaged equipment in a power substation south of Hermiston.
The snake caused a breaker to burn up at Umatilla Electric’s Feedville Substation. A crew replaced the breaker and restored power to the nearby Wal-Mart Distribution Center at 1:10 a.m. and to Hermiston Energy Service customers in the Highland Avenue vicinity at 1:17 a.m.
Despite protective fencing and shields, animals are an occasional cause of power outages nationwide, ranking behind fallen trees, vehicle accidents and wind and lighting storms.
