Climate Changed
Here's How a Bird Started a Fire at a California Solar Farm
- ‘Avian incident’ blamed for blaze at Clearway Energy plant
- Cause turns out to be common, and not confined to solar power
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It may be safe for a bird to land on a wire, but not on two of them at once.
The June 5 blaze at a California solar farm that scorched 1,127 acres started when a bird flew into a pair of wires, creating a electric circuit and a shower of sparks, an official with California’s state fire department said. It didn’t end well for the power plant -- or the bird.