Seems power lines downed in strong winds were the cause. Not the first (or last) time that has happened - the Black Saturday fires in Victoria (Aus) were the same, as were the California fires. There's a pretty simple solution, but our enslavement to 'economic rationalism' refuses to allow it: put the power lines underground.

I'm having power poles changed on my land & asked the question as to why they are not put underground? Much less maintenance, no fire hazard, Germany & Holland have done it.

The response was that it's 'too expensive'. But is it really in the long run? How much did the Maui fires cost? Apart from the tragedies, my power has gone out at least 6 or 7 times in the last year alone - each time someone has to fix it - how much is that?

I'd also question the supposed prohibitive expense, especially in rural areas, which is where fires occur. You get a backhoe, dig a trench, put the wires in a strong plastic pipe, then bury it. I doubt it would cost more than a few years' maintenance for above ground lines.

Unfortunately, that's not the model our myopic leaders like. They'd rather have a crappy service & devastating bushfires than spend money up front - even when it saves money in the long run.

At least our politicians will still get to tour destroyed communities for photo ops. Just don't mention there's a straightforward solution ...