GPS 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
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
New software lowers microchip costs, revitalizes US manufacturing

Liquid Crystals Propel Microscopic Movement: A Breakthrough by UNIST Researchers

A promising leap towards computers with light-speed capabilities

New insights into spin-orbit interaction in boron-doped diamonds

FIRE STORM
Cathay Pacific 'is back' with first annual profit since 2019

Boeing agrees to $51 mn settlement for export violations

NASA awards grants to 5 universities for quiet supersonic overflight education plans

No need for climate 'flight shame', Swedish govt says

FIRE STORM
Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

Xiaomi announces release date for first EV, shares surge

Brazil revs up for jolt of hybrid car investments

Italy says it wants Chinese carmakers but only under conditions

FIRE STORM
Moody's downgrades major Chinese property developer Vanke

China investigates another top banker for corruption

China's FM heads to Australia, wine tariffs in view

Asian markets mixed as traders eye US data, looming Fed meeting

FIRE STORM
Activists occupy German forest to block Tesla expansion

Nearly 3,000 fires in Brazilian Amazon in February, new record

Major firms still failing to tackle deforestation: report

In wake of powerful cyclone, remarkable recovery of Pacific island's forests

FIRE STORM
Iran launches imaging satellite through Russia

Launch of final satellite in current NOAA GOES series delayed due to testing issues

Study Offers Improved Look at Earth's Ionosphere

Ubotica's CogniSAT-6 Mission to Deliver Real-Time Earth Intelligence from Space

FIRE STORM
Researchers unveil novel technique for creating atomically thin nanoscrolls

MIT.nano equipment to accelerate innovation in "tough tech" sectors

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.