Old power pole blamed for bushfire near Horsham
Old power pole blamed for bushfire near Horsham
17 September 2009
published by www.abc.net.au
Australia —
The Bushfire Royal Commission has revealed the likely cause of Black Saturday’s Remlaw fire in Western Victoria was a broken power line.
Fire investigator with the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, David Brennan, told the commission he believed a conductor had been dislodged from the top of a power pole on the property, causing it to hit the ground and spark.
It’s believed the pole was 47 years old.
The commission also heard from Energy Safe Victoria’s Warren Knop, who says wind vibrations may have caused the conductor to come loose from the pole.
The commission heard Powercor last inspected the pole lines five years ago, and believes its maintenance processes are sufficient.
However, Powercor’s Vincent Power admitted he’d done nothing since the February fire to prevent future occurrences next fire season.
