* John Levine: > In article <87y2up1vc4....@mid.deneb.enyo.de> you write: >>I found the connection rather puzzling (that is, how switching off >>power distribution prevents wildfires or at least reduces their risk). >>I found some explanations here (downed lines, vegetation contact, >>conductor slap, repetitive faults, apparatus failures): >> >><https://wildfiremitigation.tees.tamus.edu/faqs/how-power-lines-cause-wildfires> > > Oh, you're in Europe. You wouldn't believe how cruddy US power > distribution systems are. California is particularly bad becuase the > populist state regulator has keep retail prices low at the cost of > reliability, safety, and everything else. > > Also keep in mind that California has conditions seen nowhere in > Europe: bone dry forests with 40C temperaturees and 100Kph winds, > and a power company too underfunded to keep up with tree trimming.
I think Greece also suffered a major wildfire in the 2018 that was initiated by a faulty power line. In Germany, we have some vegetation issues on train lines partially due to insufficient maintenance, but they fortunately don't trigger wildfires, only train outages. I guess most countries struggle to maintain basic infrastructure.
