Earth Science News
FIRE STORM
US power company admits it might have started huge Texas fire
US power company admits it might have started huge Texas fire
by AFP Staff Writers
Houston (AFP) Mar 7, 2024

A US power company admitted Thursday that its equipment may have sparked the largest wildfire in Texas' history.

Xcel -- the parent of Southwest Public Service Company, which provides electricity to part of the state -- said it was working with officials investigating the cause of the blaze that charred more than a million acres (over 400,000 hectares).

"Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire," the company said.

Hundreds of homes are thought to have been destroyed in the fire, which is known to have killed at least two people and over 3,000 farm animals.

Xcel, which is facing at least one lawsuit, denied its equipment was improperly maintained.

"However, we encourage people who had property destroyed by, or livestock lost in, the Smokehouse Creek fire to submit a claim to Xcel Energy through our claims process," the statement said.

The Washington Post reported the admission came after it saw evidence the grid in Texas was under stress in the hours before the blaze broke out in strong winds on February 26.

The paper said Whisker Labs, a firm that monitors electricity supply grids recorded 50 faults in the system.

These are typically logged when a power line has been toppled, or has touched trees -- events that typically result in the kind of sparks that can start fires in dry countryside.

It is not uncommon for US power companies to be blamed for destructive wildfires.

Hawaii's Maui county last year began legal action against the island's electricity provider over the deadly fires that leveled the historic town of Lahaina.

Videos taken before the blaze ripped through the town, killing 100 people, apparently showed downed cables setting light to vegetation.

In California, the almost 1-million-acre Dixie fire of 2021 began after power lines owned by Pacific Gas and Electric touched a tree.

A year earlier, the company pleaded guilty to more than 80 counts of involuntary manslaughter over the horrific Camp fire.

US infrastructure is frequently old and increasingly not fit for the growing demands placed on it.

Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FIRE STORM
One death reported as wildfires rage across Texas panhandle
Houston (AFP) Feb 29, 2024
Wildfires raging across north Texas reportedly killed at least one person Wednesday, as firefighters struggled to control one of the largest blazes in state history which has destroyed property and prompted evacuations. The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas' panhandle, a flat northern area known for its prairies and smattering of small towns, was listed as only three percent contained by the Texas A&M Forest Service. The enormous blaze, which spread following harsh winds and unseasonably warm tempe ... read more

FIRE STORM
Drones, snake robot enter wrecked Japan nuclear reactor

US Supreme Court hears 'bump stocks' gun case

US Supreme Court to hear 'bump stocks' gun case

Munich Re beats profit forecast despite Turkey quake

FIRE STORM
At Texas arts and tech fest, virtual reality is perfectly human

Scientists at uOttawa reveal how light behaves in formless solids

China opens first simulated environment for space research

'I need to fight': UK steelworkers in fear as less pollution means less jobs

FIRE STORM
Study reveals human activity significantly disrupts Earth's freshwater cycle

NOAA proposes huge Hawaii marine sanctuary with reefs, atolls, endangered aquatic life

Greece adopts contested coastal development law

Aerial surveys reveal ample populations of rays off Southeast Florida

FIRE STORM
Slowdown in Arctic sea ice movement, impacting marine transport and climate

Indigenous Colombians fret as sacred mountain glaciers melt

Indigenous Colombians fret as sacred mountain glaciers melt

Icy reception for plan to 'save' Venezuela's last glacier

FIRE STORM
Vietnam's 'rice bowl' cracks in monster heatwave

Costa Rica coffee farmers innovate as rainfall plummets

EU parliament backs contested biodiversity bill

Australia sees China wine tariffs lifted within weeks

FIRE STORM
Death toll from Indonesia floods, landslides rises to 21

Strong quake hits remote Macquarie Island region, no tsunami threat

Can Volcanic Super Eruptions Lead to Major Cooling? Study Suggests No

More than 30 killed in heavy rain in Pakistan

FIRE STORM
Guinea-Bissau to try senior figures over 'attempted coup'

French troops to stay in Chad: Macron envoy

Niger, Mali, Burkina creating joint anti-jihadist force

Carter Center calls for cease-fire in Sudan on eve of conflict's one-year anniversary

FIRE STORM
Becoming human: An ancient genome perspective

How cognition changes before dementia hits

Researchers say education might slow pace of aging

Finding Skywalker gibbons with love songs: study

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.