Customer
AEP
Location
Bland, Virginia
Highlights
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Wildfire Risk Averted Under Live Power Lines -
Seamless Emergency and Utility Coordination -
Now a Wildfire Risk Training Standard
Wildfire Risk Under Live Lines: How Crews Stopped a Fire Before It Started in Bland, Virginia
The Challenge
On February 27, 2025, while performing fiber framing work along Grapefield Rd in Bland, VA, a field team observed tree limbs arcing on a 19’9 energized line during moderate 15–20 mph winds. The arcing caused nearby railroad ties to smolder, triggering a fire hazard beneath the energized primary line. This area had a known history of similar incidents, with the Grapefield Fire Department having responded three prior times. The fire risk stemmed from a combination of encroaching vegetation, timber storage under live circuits, and delayed corrective action by the business owner.
The Solution
Upon observing the hazard:
- The crew immediately issued a Stop Work and contacted AEP’s Town Creek East Circuit operations.
- 911 was called, and the Grapefield Fire Department responded and extinguished the smoldering timbers.
- AEP arrived at 17:40, de-energized the circuit, and performed tree limb trimming to remove the risk of continued arcing.
- The crew resumed work the following day under safe, remediated conditions.
Key Benefits
- Public Safety Maintained: Prevented a full ignition event from progressing into a structural or vegetation fire.
- Rapid Multi-Agency Coordination: Seamless response between field crew, fire department, and utility.
- Improved Community Risk Awareness: Documented a case where business owner noncompliance posed long-term risk to power infrastructure.
- Field-Based Risk Detection: Identified a long-standing problem only visible during wind events—emphasizing the value of live field observation.
- Proactive Utility Engagement: Demonstrated how utility contractors and inspectors serve as an early warning system for latent hazards outside the immediate work zone.
The Results
- No injuries or widespread fire damage occurred during this event.
- The fire department’s fourth response to this location triggered renewed urgency for timber removal under the ROW.
- AEP's rapid de-energization and trimming restored safe working conditions within hours.
- The event is now used as a case study for wildfire ignition risk from distribution infrastructure and encroaching vegetation, especially in mixed-use ROWs.
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