Weird thing, a rash of power poles catching fire around here

[karlrschneider]

:wtf:

http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=134266

The updated KOTV noon news broadcast just said several poles burst into flames along the turnpike...and day before yesterday 2 of them just a few blocks from here did the same thing.
:silly:

[Ediacara]

1. That's bizarre, a power pole in Bozeman MT burst into flames about 3 days ago

and they shut off power to about 1/3 of the city trying to put the fire out.

[karlrschneider]

2. Humph. Maybe it's more common that I thought & doesn't make the news usually...?

:P

[Ediacara]

4. well I've never heard about it happening until this week

but maybe it is more common than I thought.

[Vinca]

3. Could it be the extreme heat in some parts of the country causing

spontaneous combustion? I think the poles are treated with creosote which is combustible.

[karlrschneider]

6. I suppose so. It was 105 here when the local ones caught fire, I didn't go look

just heard it on the police scanner but I suspected maybe overheated transformers on the poles...they're full of
oil but the ones going over the turnpike are just wires and it's way cooler today after the remains of Erin went
through.

[tularetom]

11. We've had 2 fires at our place from a transformer

One of them burned the pole and about 3 acres of grass. Asked a friend who works for the power co. if they can overheat and he says yes. If there is an internal short the oil (used to be PCB's) can overheat and begin to vaporize and spill out of the transformer. The hot oil can set dry grass on fire.

[Vinca]

13. When I was a cop I accidently set one on fire with a flare.

That's how I learned about creosote. LOL.

[tanyev]

5. We got playground mulch bursting into flames here in Texas.

Mulch at school playground spontaneously combusts

ARLINGTON — Arlington school district will spend $200,000 replacing wood chips with pea gravel at 35 playgrounds in response to a fire blamed on spontaneous combustion of the wood fiber, the superintendent said.

Surveillance video showed that nobody was around to start the fire at an elementary school playground last week, officials said. The fire melted the plastic and metal equipment, causing $35,000 in damage.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5051782.html


Maybe I will send a prayer request to Pat Robertson and see if he can find out what exactly God is so angry about.

[EST]

7. Although this is seldom reported on, even in the local news,

it is actually pretty common, when conditions are hot and dry. When there were fewer interstates and those of us who traveled on business followed roads that generally had power lines along side, a lot more people would be familiar with it.
Back before cell phones were so common, I had to feverishly hunt down a place to call from a couple of times to get a pole fire extinguished.

[karlrschneider]

9. That makes sense. It probably wouldn't have made the news here if it hadn't

caused the road to be shut down.
:-)

[lpbk2713]

8. Meanwhile .... OxyRush, BigOil and all the NeoCons scoff at the idea of Global Warming.

... and the polar caps keep on melting.

[porphyrian]

10. Creosote is flammable and it's really hot in most places right now.

Or it could be too much juice flowing through the line with inadequate or damaged insulation (which could also be a result of the heat). I can't tell from the article.

[Davis_X_Machina]

12. Fuel, spark, air...

...creosote -- old, cracked insulators -- and fifty feet up in the breeze.

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen more often.