Xcel Energy company acknowledges role in Texas wildfire

Texas Panhandle (The Texas Tribune) -- Xcel Energy acknowledged its involvement in the ignition of the Smokehouse Creek Fire Thursday.

“Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

Xcel said its has been cooperating with investigations into the wildfires and conducting its own review of the incident since it started. However, the company disputed claims in the same statement that the company acted negligently in maintaining and operating its infrastructure.

“However, we encourage people who had property destroyed by or livestock lost in the Smokehouse Creek fire to submit a claim to Xcel Energy through our claims process,” the statement says.

According to Xcel, a claim form and instructions for submission can be found by visiting www.xcelenergy.com and scrolling to the bottom right-hand side of that page, to the "Claims Process" link under Customer Support Claims Services | Customer Support | Xcel Energy.

Last week, Xcel Energy revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that attorneys asked the company to preserve a fallen utility pole near where the fire may have started.

In the SEC filing, Xcel Energy said that “investigations into origin, cause, and damage of the wildland fires burning in or near the service territory of SPS, including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, are underway.” The company also said it is working with emergency responders to assist those impacted by the fires.

A lawsuit filed last week by homeowners accused the power company of neglecting to maintain power lines.

Homeowner Melanie McQuiddy filed the initial lawsuit against the company in Hemphill County on Friday, claiming that a splintered pole ignited the fire when it fell. On Saturday, Canadian businessman Salem Abraham told The Texas Tribune of his plans to file a suit this month against Xcel and Osmose Utility Services over the pole for damages to his ranch and his brother’s land.

The company also mentioned the Windy Deuce fire, the second large fire threatening the Panhandle last week. Xcel said they do not believe their facilities caused that fire and are not aware of any allegations.

Abraham’s lawyer Kevin Isern, of the Amarillo law firm Lovell, Isern & Farabough told the Tribune the firm is finalizing a suit against against Minneapolis-based electric utility Xcel Energy, which generates, sells and delivers power in the Texas Panhandle and Osmose Utility Services, a Georgia-based company that Isern said inspects Xcel Energy equipment in Texas.

“[Xcel] did not maintain their electric poles and their electric equipment to sustain the winds and to prevent a fire from happening,” Isern said.

Xcel Energy’s subsidiary Southwestern Public Service Company serves the area where the fire is burning, according to the SEC filing. The location is outside of the jurisdiction of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the power grid that provides electricity for most of the state.

According to Xcel’s statement, 47 homes in Hemphill County and up to 17 homes in Roberts County were destroyed by the fire.