Station Fire Threatening L.A. Power Lines, Residents Urged to Conserve Energy

An apocalyptic look of downtown Los Angeles, taken Saturday | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist

The Station Fire is not only threatening homes across the region and broadcast towers on Mount Wilson, but also the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's two 500 KV transmission lines northeast of the Acton. "These high-voltage power lines are critical to maintaining a steady supply of power to the city, especially as demand for energy rises throughout the day," the department made in a statement noting that all in-basin power plants have been activated to generate energy.

Although the system is functioning normal, officials are concerned that the combination of the heatwave, which has people consuming more energy than usual, and the fire-threatened transmission lines could mean blackouts. Conserving energy means less chance of that.

"Residents are urged to turn off air conditioners if possible and when safe, or otherwise run their air conditioner systems at 78 degrees or higher," the department said. "Turn off lights not currently in use and avoid using appliances as long as doing so does not compromise their or their family members' health or safety."