Tree on power line credited for fire start

Wind, tree, power line, spark, seem to be the order of events for the ignition of the Babb/Malden Fire Sept. 7.

According to an AP report, Avista Utilities has sighted the tree contacting a power line as the apparent start of the wildfire which destroyed most of Malden and Pine City.

The utility company has not found evidence that any deficiencies in its equipment, maintenance or vegetation management caused recent fires, the company said in a statement Friday.

High winds on Labor Day turned fires that started that day into a firestorm, feeding the blazes plenty of oxygen and pushing them along rapidly.