Source: AFP
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 cooperating with officials investigating the cause of the fire that charred more than a million acres (more than 400,000 hectares).
“Based on information currently available, Xcel Energy recognizes that its facilities appear to be involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” the company said.
Hundreds of homes are believed to have been destroyed by the fire, which is known to have killed at least two people and more than 3,000 farm animals.
Xcel, which faces at least one lawsuit, has denied that its equipment was improperly maintained.
“However, we encourage people who had property damaged or livestock lost in the Smokehouse Creek fire to file a claim with Xcel Energy through our claims process,” the statement said.
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The Washington Post reported that the admission came after seeing evidence that the grid in Texas was under stress in the hours before the blaze erupted with strong winds on February 26.
The newspaper reported that Whisker Labs, a company that monitors electricity supply networks, recorded 50 faults in the system.
These are usually recorded when a power line has fallen or touched trees — events that usually lead to the kind of sparks that can start wildfires in dry countryside.
It’s not uncommon for American energy companies to be blamed for devastating fires.
Maui County, Hawaii, last year launched legal action against the island’s electricity provider over the deadly wildfires that leveled the historic town of Lahaina.
Videos taken before the fire ripped through the city, killing 100 people, apparently showed downed power lines lighting up the vegetation.
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![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/3694deff3737805c.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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In California, the nearly 1 million acre Dixie Fire of 2021 started when 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 in connection with the horrific Camp fire.
US infrastructure is often old and increasingly unsuited to the growing demands placed on it.
Source: AFP