HEA monitoring Funny River Fire

Homer Electric Association (HEA) is closely monitoring the Funny River Fire and its proximity to HEA transmission lines and other facilities.

As of Wednesday evening the fire has not impacted any HEA structures and there has been no disruption in service to HEA members.

The primary concern at this time is two high voltage transmission lines that are located between Kasilof and Soldotna, just west of the fire and east of the Sterling Highway.

HEA personnel flew over the fire area Tuesday evening and the fire appeared to be about four miles east of the transmission lines. A fly over was conducted Wednesday morning, but smoke and haze made it difficult to get a current assessment of the fire relative to HEA’s structures.

A flight is scheduled for Wednesday evening to get an updated view of the boundaries of the fire and any potential threat to HEA transmission lines.

At this time, HEA has no plans to disrupt service. Fire conditions will determine future decisions regarding potential service disruptions. If the fire activity poses a threat to the transmission lines or distribution lines, it is likely there will be power outages in the affected areas.

HEA is working closely with the Incident Management Team that is managing fire suppression operations and will assist in efforts to mitigate potential disruption of electrical service to members.

HEA will provide updates on its web site, Facebook page, and local media outlets while fire suppression efforts are underway.

For additional information, please call Joe Gallagher at 907-283-2324 jgallagher@homerelectric.com