AusNet spokesman on Walwa fires

An Ausnet spokesman talks about efforts to restore power to the North East after 200 power poles fall during the January 2026 bushfires.

Transcript

00:00Over the last seven days we've found it difficult to gain access into the two

00:03fire grounds at Longwood and Walwa. During that time we've been able to get

00:07our helicopters in the air and assess as much damage as possible. We're now

00:11getting access into the ground areas with our field crews to assess further

00:15damage. To date we have found approximately 200 plus poles that are

00:19affected by the fires and we have over 250 resources across the fire areas

00:24working around the clock whilst it's safe to deliver the outcomes for our

00:28customers. Over the last seven days it's been quite challenging. Over the two

00:32fire grounds at Longwood and Walwa we have found over 200 poles that have been

00:36affected by the fires. We have 250 plus resources working across both fire

00:41grounds at the moment to restore power to the communities as soon as it's safe to

00:45access and we'll get those customers on as soon as we can.