Posted on 01/11/2025 12:56:09 PM PST by Libloather
Faults along Los Angeles’ power grid surged in the same locations where three of this week’s massive wildfires are raging, a company that monitors electrical activity said.
Whisker Labs recorded sharp increases in faults in the hours prior to the Eaton, Palisades and Hurst Fires, its chief executive officer Bob Marshall told Fox News Saturday.
In the Palisades area, the largest of the fires, there were 63 grid faults in the two to three hours prior to the start of the fire, Marshall said.
There were also 18 faults registered in the hour it began Tuesday.
He also said there were 317 grid faults “in the hours preceding” the Eaton Fire near Altadena and about 230 that occurred before the Hurst Fire.
He said on a typical day there are few faults.
Although investigators have yet to determine the cause of the wildfires, sparks from faults can fall to the ground and ignite vegetation.
High winds can then carry flames at rapid speeds.
“What we cannot say … is whether one of those faults caused the fire. We don’t know that,” Marshall said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
They do in modern developments. Our home in So. Orange County was built in 1995 and all the areas around us have buried power lines. There is NO above ground power lines. You need to remember that much of Palisades and Eaton have power lines above their properties.
IYRC, the fire that took out Paradise (Camp Fire) a year or so back had above power lines. Mush of Lahaina did also.
Still, the lack of reservoir water for some nothing fish, Greenies not permitting brush cutting, the DWP Chief not testing fire hydrants, Newscum allowing snowmelt and rivers to flow in the ocean after a record rainfall in So. Cal this past winter were just some of the reasons parts of Los Angeles County is now in ash.
They can point their fingers in any direction, but the above is why Palisades and other areas look like Dresdan. There are NO excuses for the incompetence we've seen.
Because SCE didn't get sued like PGE? /s
Why CA hasn't buried power cables in high-risk areas is beyond me.
Just heard, they are sending LEO’s for possible arsonist with incendiaries.
Seriously, though...
I saw a cute little blonde city council member - new to the job in December, she said - where she was voicing her exasperation at the bureaucracy to some media pundit. I think she’s onto something, but that she has no idea how bad it is.
Without spending time on something I care next to nothing about, I believe that statewide it is policy to cut the grid in the event of a weather event which may threaten ‘faults’ especially in extreme drought areas.
I believe it comes down to one of 2 things to explain why the power grid was still energized at the time of the Santa Ana event:
1. Bureaucratic largesse and/or incompetence,
2. Intent.
Regardless, 1 + 1 = 2. The odds are extremely high that these electrical faults caused at least the initial fire(s).
I don't understand why they don't bury their lines considering the danger of fire.
There are problems with burying high-tension power lines, particularly in earthquake country. First, the cost per mile is very, very high because of the large amount of material required to insulate 11-66 kilovolt transmission lines, the cost and land footprint of ground-based switchgear, and the footprint of the cable right-of-way. Yes, the transmission line company can include bends to accommodate shifting, but it further increases the investment.
Frankly, it would be cheaper and safer to better distribute the generation, perhaps using small-scale nuke plants...if the environmentalists would sit still for them. "But solar and wind power!" Sorry, does not scale well.
Never mind the guys with the propane torches.
Can someone with a computer, say in China, cause a power grid to generate faults?
Could some equipment in a drone cause a power grid to generate faults?
What is the definition of the grid?
transmission, sub-transmission, distribution ??
I live in the sane State of Texas. A high voltage power line is adjacent to my property. The electric company has a right of way cleared about 200 feet wide. No trees near to this right of way are over 50 or 60 feet tall. The right of way is cleared of all trees. You could blow all those on my property down by wind and they would never touch the power lines. Every few years the Electric Company comes and trims new growth.
KISS “Keep it simple stupid,”
“Why CA hasn’t buried power cables in high-risk areas is beyond me.”
When you are dealing with up to 138 kV transmission power lines you can’t easily bury those. Too costly and dangerous.
Most of what you see as power poles (6-11kV) in your neighborhood can be buried and probably should be but, it isn’t cheap. but those typically aren’t starting fires in the wilderness.
“not bush’s fault. Trump’ s fault. ask any California liberal.”
Of certainty you are correct. I have photos of Trump in California with gasoline and a propane torch in the Palisades gleefully spreading hate and fire. I also have the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge to sale at a bargain price. I would not lie to you. /Sarcasm
Part of the reason could have been the guy with the blow torch who was observed setting fires. I believe he was a foreigner who spoke mostly Spanish. And had 5 cell phones. And a United Nations debit card. But the authorities let him go with no charges because the there's no way to know what he was doing.
It's called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). It doesn't need to be a drought area.
Many states mandate clearing around transmission towers for this exact reason.
Which begs the question as to why SCE didn’t enact multple shut offs when the wind was whipping the lines into a frenzy?
I don't think either of us knew that.
But I swear that I read it was Southern California Edison that managed the lines in question...could be wrong.
As I implied without full explanation, if the pumps to move water uphill to gravity feed storage locations require electrical power, they can't shut it off without an independent means (such as diesel engines) on pumps available as backups.
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