Los Angeles utility says fire threat to grid reduced

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The Los Angeles electric utility said on Tuesday that the threat to high-voltage power lines has diminished from an expanding wildfire burning north of the city.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) said changing weather conditions and creation of a fire break between the Station fire and a transmission corridor near Acton have reduced the fire's threat.

On Monday, LADWP said two 500-kilovolt power lines that transport power into the city were in the potential path of the fire burning in the Angeles National Forest.

The fire has knocked some transmission and distribution lines out of service for periods of time, leading to a small number of power outages in Southern California, according to utilities and the state grid operator who continue to closely monitor the blaze.

The wildfire grew more slowly Tuesday, fire officials said, thanks to higher humidity and lower temperatures. More than 121,000 acres have burned.

LADWP, the nation's largest municipal utility, asked customers to continue to limit unnecessary power use on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady)