Deadly Maui wildfires possibly caused by exposed power cables and crooked poles

Source: World Time Todays | By Rick Schindler

But Mark Toney said utility-caused wildfires are completely preventable. He is Executive Director of the tariff payers group The Utility Reform Network (TURN) in California. He is urging PG&E to isolate its lines in high-risk areas.

“We must stop the wildfires caused by utilities. We need to stop them, and the quickest and cheapest way to do that is to isolate the overhead wires,” he said.

In the early moments of the Maui fires, as high winds toppled utility poles and slammed power cords into the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames suddenly erupted in long, orderly columns — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal could produce sparks on contact.