You know it's a drought when...

[rpm]

Power poles start catching on fire!

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/breakingnews/Baylor-part-of-Waco-without-power.html


Eric Martello, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there were reports of electric poles catching fire in several Central Texas counties this morning.
 
Oncor officials told the NWS that dust and dirt accumulated on the insulators over the years, combined with moisture from low-lying clouds and fog this morning, caused them to conduct electricity, sparking the fires.
 
"I've never seen or heard of that in my 20 years of the weather service," Martello said.

[SIM]

Its not electricity "tracking" because of the dirt and moisture that surprises me.....


Its the building/whatever it is built around the pole in that picture. What kind of moron would let that happen??????

[smoe]

Just need to hose them off every few decades.

[Meatwad]

Just need to hose them off every few decades.

Yep, all that talk about water conducting electricity is the devil! My momma says so

[Dragon]

Yep, a power pole through a metal roof.  Only in Texas. 





The pole through the roof, pole through the roof, pole through the roof is on fire.......

It's just not the same.   

[rpm]

Yep, a power pole through a metal roof.  Only in Texas. 





The pole through the roof, pole through the roof, pole through the roof is on fire.......

It's just not the same.   

I think you guys are mistaken. That is an optical illusion from the camera angle. The pole is behind and taller than the building.

[saggs]

Yep, all that talk about water conducting electricity is the devil! My momma says so

Your momma is right.  Water (pure water) is insulating, not conductive, and they DO wash live power line insulators with high pressure de-mineralized water from helicopters all the time.  The company I work for has done thousands of "hot washes".

Some pics of hot washing in this gallery  here.

The reason you'll get zapped if you drop a toaster in your bathtub, is not the water but all the minerals and other stuff suspended in the water.

[Meatwad]

Its not very often my momma is right. Now just need to figure out why alligators is so onrey all the time

[rpm]

Its not very often my momma is right. Now just need to figure out why alligators is so onrey all the time

It's because you won't put sausage on their pizza.

[Meatwad]