SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) -Duke Energy reported thousands of people across the Upstate were without power throughout Friday.

Officials with Duke Energy said wind gusts impacted powerlines, and transformers. The wind gusts also brought down tree limbs and branches.

“It was beautiful, it was that, but it was scary at the same time,” said Judy Fowler, who was without power for about 6 hours on Friday.

The power of nature caused big problems for some people waking up in Spartanburg County.

“First, I woke up to like a big loud boom. I was sound asleep, and I jumped up and I sleep near the window, so I looked out and I just saw these big giant balls of fire coming from the lines up there,” said Fowler.

Fowler said she watched, as a transformer near her home went out, knocking out power before sunrise.

“Every time the lines would hit each other, the fire just looked like it looked like rain falling to the ground. I was scared the grass might catch on fire,” said Fowler.

Soon after, she said a tree fell, blocking the road and taking down powerlines too.

“The front, with really strong winds, both sustained and gusting, has really done a number on parts of our system, the trees, and the powerlines, and equipment,” said Ryan Mosier, a spokesperson for Duke Energy.

Across the Upstate, Mosier said crews headed out, and at times, had to wait for wind speeds to drop before they could fix outages.

“Wind speed hampers restoration of outages, it certainly does and safety is our number one priority,” said Mosier.

As they worked, neighbors waited, trying to stay warm.

“It’s starting to get cold in the house, so I’ve got fire logs, it will keep my house pretty much warm until I run out or they get power back on,” said Fowler.

Eventually, Fowler said her power came back at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. While Duke Energy leaders hope to restore power to customers quickly, they’re encouraging people to have plans in place in case their power is out for several hours.

“The temperatures are going to drop, and it’s going to get very cold. It can be very dangerous when you do have power, but extremely dangerous if you don’t,” said Mosier.

Duke Energy is also asking people to be patient and flexible as crews work to fix outages this holiday weekend.

People can view outages here and report issues here.