In Texas House hearing, Xcel Energy says pole that started Panhandle wildfire needed replacement

PAMPA — An Xcel Energy executive said during a legislative hearing Thursday the company's power pole responsible for starting the largest wildfire in Texas history had decayed beyond a safe point and needed to be replaced.

Adrian Rodriguez is the president of Xcel's Texas and New Mexico division, also known as Southwestern Public Service. He testified during a hearing of the Texas House committee investigating the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Texas Panhandle in February and March.

Rodriguez said Osmose Utilities Services, a Georgia-based contractor that performs safety inspections for Xcel, evaluated the pole that fell to spark the Smokehouse Creek Fire in January and identified it for "priority one" replacement, meaning the pole was flagged to be replaced as soon as possible. He testified the pole had been added to Xcel's replacement queue but was not replaced in the weeks leading up to the fire, which sparked on Feb. 26.

"We did not replace the pole in the weeks between when we received the inspection information from Osmose on Feb. 9 and when it broke in the high winds of Feb. 26, starting the fire," Rodriguez testified. "Obviously, I wish we could turn back the clock and replace the pole that day."

Osmose, Xcel's primary pole inspector, declined to testify during the hearings.

From Wednesday: Wildfire committee questions investigator who found chop marks on power poles

Xcel previously acknowledged its infrastructure likely started the Smokehouse Creek Fire — the largest wildfire in Texas history — but disputed claims the company acted negligently in maintaining that infrastructure, a position Rodriguez doubled down on Thursday.

The Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) said its investigation concluded that a decayed power pole had fallen and started the fire. Rodriguez said he agrees with this finding.

Rodriguez testified on Thursday an Xcel line was also responsible for the 687 Reamer Fire but did not elaborate. The 687 Reamer fire later burned into the Smokehouse Creek Fire.

Xcel is now facing multiple lawsuits in connection with the fires, which burned more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle over the course of several weeks. The lawsuits allege Xcel did not diligently maintain its lines and poles, leading to a pole breaking and a line causing ignition.

Melanie Lee McQuiddy filed the first suit against Xcel and Osmose on March 1 in Hemphill County, seeking more than $1 million in damages. Xcel was already facing more than 280 lawsuits related to the 2021 Marshall Fire near Boulder, Colorado, which caused over $2 billion in property damage.

Kevin Pierce, a law-enforcement investigator with the Forest Service, testified Wednesday the agency found chop marks at the base of the pole that fell and several others nearby. He testified Xcel believed the chopping might be related to an inspection method but was unable to confirm this with Osmose.

Rodriguez explained on Thursday the chop marks came from an industry-standard inspection process known as "shaving" or "chipping." During this process, an inspector removes decayed wood from the base of the pole in order to determine how much good wood remains.

From Tuesday: House investigative committee begins 3-day wildfire hearings in Pampa

Pierce said Osmose has not responded to questions from TAMFS. State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, noted Wednesday the company has not responded to inquiries from the committee.

The committee heard testimony over the course of three days from emergency management personnel, firefighters, landowners, regulators and the public. The committee is expected to release a report detailing its findings by May 1.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan last month appointed the Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires, chaired by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, which is tasked with investigating the wildfires' origins and evaluating the state's response to the fires. In addition to King and Burrows, the committee comprises Republican Rep. Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi and public members Jason Abraham and James Henderson, both Panhandle landowners.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Xcel says pole that started Texas Panhandle wildfire needed replacement