VIDEO: Spokane County commissioners voted on Tuesday to approve a plan that could reduce wildfire risks near Spokane Valley.
The county approved a plan proposed by Avista that will allow it to bury power lines in the area. The company says burying the power lines would also reduce power outages and decrease the need for future tree work. “Thereโs lots of trees, so any windstorm can take out a power line and cause a fire,” said Nels Toftdahl, a resident near Mica Peak. “We have to protect it because once it’s taken away, it’s hard to get back.”
A Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report found that overhead power lines have caused several wildfires in recent years. In 2020, investigators say a fire destroyed Malden and Pine City after a tree branch fell on an Avista power line.
And in 2023, a faulty security light on an Inland Power utility pole sparked the Gray fire in Medical Lake. Hundreds of homes burned in both fires.
Avista plans to bury 2.5 miles of overhead lines near Mica Peak. The project is set to begin at the peak of the mountain and run down the north face of the mountain. Work is set to begin in mid-July and continue through the end of August.
The utility is planning similar projects in North Spokane County and the Moran Prairie area.
