Broken power pole and downed wires caused largest fire in Texas history, investigator says
The largest wildfire in Texas history was caused by a power line after a pole that “appeared to be decayed at the base” fell into a grassy area, a Texas A&M Forest Service investigator concluded in a report released Friday.
The Smokehouse Creek fire has burned more than 1 million acres in the Texas Panhandle since it broke out on Feb. 26 near the small town of Stinnett.
Fueled by high winds, it was one of several large fires in the Panhandle that have killed two people and destroyed an estimated 500 structures.
The cause of the Smokehouse Creek fire was determined to be a power line, the investigation report from the Texas A&M Forest Service, a state agency, concluded.
A “power pole that appeared to be decayed at the base where it made contact with ground had broken off at ground level,” the investigator wrote, adding that the pole, the cross member and wires fell and made contact with fine grassy fuels.
Utility company Xcel Energy said Thursday that “its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” but it disputed any claims that the company acted negligently in maintaining its infrastructure.
The Texas A&M Forest Service investigation report does not allege negligence.
A lawsuit filed by a homeowner last week against Xcel Energy Services, Southwestern Public Service Company and Osmose Utility Services claimed they “failed to properly inspect, maintain, and replace” the pole that fell.
The Smokehouse Creek fire has burned 1,058,482 acres and was 87% contained Friday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.
A power line also caused another of the wildfires in the Panhandle, the Windy Deuce fire, the forest service said.
That fire was reported at 6:23 p.m. on Feb. 26 at an oil field, and was caused when a power line that “ran directly thru the top of a small tree” made contact with tree limbs, a forest service report concludes.
That contact caused a spark or molten metal that fell into grass below, the report said.
A spokesman for Xcel Energy said the company does not believe its equipment was involved in causing that fire, and is not aware of any allegations that its equipment was involved.
There are power lines owned by other companies in the area where the Windy Deuce fire began, Xcel spokesperson Kevin Coss said.
The Texas A&M Forest Service investigation reports do not mention which company owns the lines in either fire.
The Windy Deuce fire was at 144,045 acres Friday and was 92% contained, the forest service said. Firefighters continued to mop up and patrol the fire area, it said.
