Colfax power outage caused by pole fire

COLFAX - A short power outage on July 1 was caused by a pole fire burning between Colfax and Pullman.

The transmission structure ignited due to weather, according to David Vowels, communications manager for Avista. The specific cause is still under investigation.

The issue was spotted during a fly-over of the line with a helicopter. The fire took place on a pole in a remote area.

Crews were able to address the problem, re-routing power using Avista redundancies to restore service.

Pole fires can occur after extended dry weather when dirt covers the insulators connecting wires to the top of power poles. They can become conductive when moisture is added by rain or dew. The dust and water create a path that can enable electricity to go from the wires to the pole. The heat from the electricity can ignite the pole, according to Vowels.