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Arcing power lines cited as cause of major Utah wildfire

USA Today|Michael Winter|July 12, 2012
UtahTransmission

Deputy Utah Fire Marshal Troy Mills says high winds either caused crossing wires to touch or come close enough to spark, sending a surge to the ground and igniting grass. The Wood Hollow Fire burned 75 square miles, or about 47,000 acres, and destroyed more than 100 structures besides homes. It was 100% contained July 2.


Only a welcome sign remained at the entrance to a cabin destroyed in the Wood Hollow wildfire in central Utah in late June. The 10-day fire destroyed 52 homes and more than 100 other structures. A Utah fire investigator's report concludes it was started by arcing high-voltage transmission lines that were built too closely together.

A June wildfire in Utah that destroyed 52 homes and killed a man was caused by arcing between two high-voltage transmission lines built too closely together, a state fire investigator has concluded.

A 138-kilovolt power line crosses under a 345-kilovolt line in Sanpete County, Utah. A deputy state fire marshal believes the lines arched, sending a powerful surge that ignited the Wood Hollow Fire in late …

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Only a welcome sign remained at the entrance to a cabin destroyed in the Wood Hollow wildfire in central Utah in late June. The 10-day fire destroyed 52 homes and more than 100 other structures. A Utah fire investigator's report concludes it was started by arcing high-voltage transmission lines that were built too closely together.

A June wildfire in Utah that destroyed 52 homes and killed a man was caused by arcing between two high-voltage transmission lines built too closely together, a state fire investigator has concluded.

A 138-kilovolt power line crosses under a 345-kilovolt line in Sanpete County, Utah. A deputy state fire marshal believes the lines arched, sending a powerful surge that ignited the Wood Hollow Fire in late June. The transmission lines are owned by Rocky Mountain Power, which says thieves stole protective copper ground wires designed to supress surges.

In his report, Deputy Utah Fire Marshal Troy Mills says high winds either caused crossing wires to touch or come close enough to spark, sending a surge to the ground and igniting grass. The Wood Hollow Fire burned 75 square miles, or about 47,000 acres, and destroyed more than 100 structures besides homes. It was 100% contained July 2.

Rocky Mountain Power, which owns the transmission lines, says thieves had stripped protective copper wires intended to ground surges. But Mills says the June 23 surge was so powerful it probably would have overwhelmed the ground wires.

"The ground wires aren't specifically designed to dissipate the amount of energy that particular issue had," Mills told the Salt Lake Tribune in an interview today. "What the ground wires are designed to do is dissipate the nuisance power on the system."

Ground wires "may have made a difference," he added, "but I don't know that they would have eliminated the risk of having a fire."

Mills points out that a 345-kilovolt line crosses over a 138-kilovolt line and poles.

In a statement, Rocky Mountain Power said it was "in the process of doing our own detailed technical analysis in addition to cooperating with fire investigators. There are aspects of this investigation that have yet to be fully analyzed."


Source:http://content.usatoday.com/c…

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