Electrical pole fires cause outages across San Marcos

Also of note

Just north of Rattler Road, Bowie Elementary School faced an early morning power outage, according to SMCISD. Bowie was the only campus to lose power and remained open to receive students.

Power was restored to the school around 9:20 a.m., and the campus resumed normal operations.

The cause

A change in weather conditions following an extended amount of time without rain caused the multiple power pole fires, Will Holford, Bluebonnet Electrical Cooperative public affairs manager, said.

The morning’s damp, foggy weather mixed with a build-up of dirt, pollen and dust from the extended dry period on the insulators and cross arms of the power poles created a conductive film, Holford said. The film allowed electricity to bypass insulation and reach the wooden tops of the poles, starting the fires.