A wave of power outages hit San Marcos the morning of Jan. 23, impacting thousands of residents, as well as stoplights and a San Marcos CISD elementary school campus.
The overview
Beginning at approximately 4:15 a.m., multiple electric pole fires caused power outages on Hwy. 123 between Rattler Road and Wonder World Drive, according to the San Marcos Police Department.
As a result of the fires, power lines were down and traffic signals were not properly functioning. Subsequent updates indicated that all highway lanes were open and traffic lights along the highway were functioning properly.
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.
