Pole fires spark Ergon warning

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Readers' view of the Rockhampton fires

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Rockhampton bushfire

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Fire at Mt Archer

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MORE than 40 wooden power poles were casualties in the recent Mount Archer fires, prompting Ergon Energy to warn the community about the dangers of pole fires.

Acting general area operations manager Steve Barrett said crews were putting out spot fires while fixing power poles and were able to prevent power loss to the community.

Acting general operations manager Steve Leighton wanted to advise landholders, if they intended to conduct a controlled burn, to be aware of power structures on or near their properties.

Mr Leighton said pole fires posed a potentially serious safety risk to the community.

“When a pole is burnt down the power lines are brought down as well and this is something we are very concerned about,” he said.

Another issue is the propensity of large birds near water courses to cause power disruptions and ultimately fires.