Cause of Willow Park fire determined

A grass fire that burned 1,000 acres in east Parker County was caused by an electrical equipment malfunction, according to Parker County Fire Marshal Kurt Harris.

Harris said the ongoing high winds caused an insulator on an electricity distribution pole to snap, leaving the distribution wire waving around in the wind.

"At that point, that wire that had been connected above the pole was now below it, and it made contact with the ground wire, causing it to arc," said Harris. "Those sparks got caught by the wind and hopped over a gravel road, directly into the grass, and it took off from there."

Harris said Oncor workers were on the scene yesterday to repair the damage.