Officials to Seek Ways to Make Power Lines Safer

A 25-acre brush fire that was started earlier this week when a large bird apparently flew between two power lines has prompted Southern California Edison officials to team up with environmentalists to investigate how to keep birds from creating a fire hazard.

The fire Monday south of Crest Road was the second blaze on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in three years caused by a bird landing on power lines, said Scott Gobble, Palos Verdes region manager for Edison. County fire officials discovered a burned red-tailed hawk under a power line near the spot where they believe the fire started.

Gobble said many birds land on the power lines and sit safely, but if a large bird’s wings clip two power lines at the same time there is a risk that a wire will short out. Gobble said he wants to find a way to make the utility lines more safe for birds.