The frequency and intensity of wildfires pose severe problems for utilities, as both distribution and transmission lines are frequently routed through grasslands and forested areas to minimize aesthetic impacts to urbanized areas. Having been affected by wildfires in the past, Southern California Edison (SCE) has taken a proactive approach to fire harden the structures on its system.
SCE has adopted a fire test protocol that simulates the heat and intensity of wildfire. It has tested a variety of products to that protocol to determine the effectiveness of that product to either protects its structures from wildfires or to increase the fire resistance of its structures when exposed to wildfires.
Included here are images of the results of SCE"s testing and some real-world results. For the full, in-depth article, see Structural Materials That Increase Resistance to Wildfires from T&D World's August 2022 Structures supplement.