A new question about the California fires:

[hedgehog]

I think several arsonists have been arrested and at least 1 suspected arsonist shot to death.

Supposedly several fires were started when winds took down power lines.

It may be expensive, but power lines can be buried or reinforced for high winds. It's poor design if reasonably expected wind speeds can take them down.

So the question is, how many utility executives have been arrested?

[EFerrari]

1. My mom lives in a canyon and has been fighting the county

to be allowed to bury the power lines for years now.

[begin_within]

2. Good point

I heard on one broadcast that San Diego Gas & Electric has made some settlements in the past to homeowners who lost their homes in fires caused by SDG&E equipment. But that was before this week. I'm sure you would have to take them to court. Utilty executives should be arrested anyway, since our utility bills month after month are a type of home-invasion robbery.

[aquart]

3. These were NOT "reasonably expected wind speeds."

According to local reports, nobody has ever seen these winds in a Santa Ana. 80-90 mph winds can light a dry canyon with a single spark.

Your question is not "new." It's lazily uninformed.

Now, if you'd asked why they didn't prepare for the predicted results of climate change, then you would have a reasonable question.

[uppityperson]

4. well aren't you just the sweetest thing

[RB TexLa]

5. Guess the OP should have brought up the questionbefore it was determined a fire was started by power

lines.

[hedgehog]

6. Are you certain we're talking about the same thing?

If Santa Ana winds are bringing down power lines, then the power lines aren't built for the conditions. It would be like building power lines around here that couldn't withstand blizzard conditions. We did lose a lot of power lines a few years ago in a major ice storm, but that was rather unusual weather. I'm not sure that 80-90 MPH winds are that stringent a design limit. Seems to me I saw that Northern California was getting off shore winds in that range a few weeks back.

[lligrd]

7. There Is No Way To Stop Fires From Occurring

Doesn't really matter if they are man made or natural. Fires are mother natures way of clearing the brush and making way for the new. The dry brush in California are torches waiting for an excuse to ignite. All one has to do is look at it to see that. And there is no way to clear it all either. People do the best they can to clear the brush away from their houses and hope for the best. Luckily our fire fighters are pretty darn good.

[SoCalDem]

8. Enron, Duke Energy, Reliant (and others) and the privatization

of power during the 80's & 90's...