Lake Worth, Florida, underwent a large-scale power outage Wednesday after an iguana apparently hit a transformer with its tail.
The area lost power after the iguana’s tail knocked into a transformer in the city’s 6th avenue substation, the City of Lake Worth Beach announced late Wednesday morning. The outage mostly affected people in the South East area of the service territory, according to the city.
The city could not restore power for around half an hour, WPBF reported. (RELATED: FBI Investigates After Gunfire Damages Two Substations, Leaving 40,000 People Without Power)
“The problem with the iguana is because they’re so big, they basically drive over lines,” city spokesperson Ben Kerr told WPTV. The area has seen three separate incidents involving the lizard species, Kerr added. “The iguanas are a particularly complex issue but one that we, and other utilities, are addressing.”
The iguana died after damaging the transformer, according to the outlet.
A North Carolina county also experienced large-scale power outages after someone allegedly shot a gun into a Moore County, North Carolina, substation Saturday, News & Observer reported. Over 40,000 residents and businesses lost power, leaving the city powerless until Wednesday, the outlet continued.
“I hope they turn the power off in the cell they put you in,” Moore County Commissioners Chairman Nick Picerno told the outlet, apparently indirectly addressing the alleged perpetrator.
One woman died following the alleged attack, but investigators were uncertain if she died as a result of the outages or of natural causes, News & Observer reported. Republican North Carolina Sen. Tom McInnis mulled the idea of changing state penalty laws to better fit the aftermath of the crime, according to the outlet.