Balingup fire started by fallen Western Power pole
Issue Date: - Wednesday, 22 April 2009
A bushfire at Balingup in February was started by high voltage conductors making contact with dry vegetation on the ground when a rotted Western Power wooden pole fell over, an EnergySafety investigation has found.
Director of EnergySafety, Ken Bowron, said today that a report on the Balingup fire was complete, but further investigations would continue on the power line involved.
"Wind speeds when the pole fell over were well within the design limits that applied at the time the poles were installed, and also the current design limits," Mr Bowron said.
"The investigation found that the wind speeds were not significant enough to explain the pole failure.
"Considerable rot in the pole in the safety-critical zone at and below the ground line was a significant factor in the pole falling over, and Western Power's inspection on January 8, 2009 failed to identify the real condition and strength of the pole.
"The steel pole-base reinforcing stake failed to support the rotted pole as was intended, and this was a contributing factor to the pole falling over and the fire starting.
"There were no other potential sources of ignition such as lightning, power line fuse operation, vehicle movements through the area or arson.
"Two other poles in the spur line near the failed pole number K360/36/3 were found to be leaning and possibly unsafe, and Western Power subsequently replaced both.
"These poles did not contribute to the pole falling over, but raise questions about the effectiveness and timeliness of Western Power's inspections.
"We will be looking into these questions further with Western Power in the weeks ahead," Mr Bowron said.