Local farmer Jack Kenna believes strong winds snapped the power pole to the east of his house at The Sisters and the power lines ignited the blaze that swept through thousands of hectares near Terang and Ayreford.

The fire burnt about 60 hectares (150 acres) of pastures on his property as well as fencing. 

Mr Kenna is asking why the pole snapped when others didn’t.

A Powercor spokeswoman said the powerpole on Mr Kenna’s farm had been inspected last year.

“Our records show an inspection team checked the pole in the Garvoc area in November last year and it was deemed in good condition,” she said.

“We are working closely with Energy Safe Victoria and emergency service agencies as they conduct their investigations into what caused these fires.”

She said Powercor had an extensive maintenance program.

“Safety is always our first priority and we have a rigorous inspection and maintenance program to ensure we meet Victoria’s strict safety regulations,” the spokeswoman said.

“Each year we submit a plan, including our asset management and maintenance practices, to Energy Safe Victoria outlining the safety work we are conducting on electricity infrastructure such as poles and wires.

“Our bushfire safety program operates all year round.

“This work includes asset inspections in line with regulated timeframes, vegetation audits and powerline replacement work in high bushfire-risk areas.

“We have been rolling out initiatives across our network that were identified as part of the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission, including the replacement of sections of high voltage lines in high bushfire-risk areas and the installation of new safety protection devices on powerlines to minimise fire risk.”

She said dust on power poles could start a fire.

“Dust build up, when combined with light rain and a small voltage leak, can heat up assets and start fires,” she said.

“We are not aware of dust contributing to any of these fires.” The spokeswoman said the fires had been devastating for the south-west community and Powercor’s thoughts were with all who had been affected over the past week.

“We had more than 30 crews from across western Victoria and Melbourne who worked to restore power to the region,” the spokeswoman said.

“The teams worked around the clock to fix poles and rebuild infrastructure that was damaged during the fires and severe weather.”