Be Careful With Spring Burning

Be careful with spring burning.

That’s the message from Big Horn Rural Electric, which posted photos on Facebook yesterday of a utility pole that was burned all the way to the top, due to a controlled burn that got out of hand. Officials say it’s the fourth pole burnt already this spring by people doing clean-up. This is a very dangerous and expensive problem that the company says seems to be getting worse instead of better.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation reminds landowners that when burning in highway rights-of-way, several safety concerns for the traveling public arise. There is the potential of limited visibility caused by low-hanging smoke, along with damage to fences, signs, sign posts, guardrails and permitted utilities.

Big Horn Rural Electric points out that the utility poles are not indestructible, and that should the pole have been further damaged, the result could have been power outages or lines on the ground – which has a potentially fatal outcome.