LAKESIDE, Calif. --
A retired fire chief told 10News the controversial Sunrise Powerlink is a fire hazard that could make fighting wildfires much harder.
Bob Robeson was a division chief with the California Department of Forestry and a firefighter for 30 years before he retired to his Lakeside home. Now, he's a member of the local fire safe council.
Robeson said the Sunrise Powerlink will make it much harder for firefighting aircraft to attack fires.
"The air tankers and helicopters, quite frankly, can't maneuver that well in and around and drop effectively underneath these power lines," Robeson said.
The $1.9 billion Sunrise Powerlink will carry electricity 120 miles from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. It's expected to be completed by 2012 and is expected to provide electricity for more than 600,000 people.
Robeson admitted he's not excited about the towers and lines going across the view he has of the nearby mountains.
"Let's put it this way: It's visually, aesthetically kind of unpleasing," he said.
But he's still concerned about the fire dangers. He said the aircraft cannot drop retardant on the power lines because it could threaten the life of anyone nearby.
"You may get a long bolt of lightning that comes off when they ground that to the ground," said Robeson.
He added the aircraft would have to wait for the fire to move out from underneath the power lines before they could attack the fire again. In the meantime, the fire could get even bigger.
Robeson said the only safe way to build the Sunrise Powerlink and keep the East County safe is to move the lines underground. It would add millions to the price tag, but Robeson said it's cheaper than paying for a devastating wildfire like the one San Diego County had in 2007 or 2003.
A CalFire spokesman disagreed and told 10News fighting fires around the Sunrise Powerlink towers and lines would be no different that fighting fires around existing power lines. He added aircraft could drop retardant on either side of the lines, trapping the fire.
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