Why did it fall? Xcel says Hopkins utility pole passed inspection
1 dead after utility pole falls on car in Hopkins
One person is dead after authorities say a utility pole fell onto a car in Hopkins, Minn. causing it to catch fire.
HOPKINS (FOX 9) - A utility pole crushed a car and caused it to burst into flames outside a Hopkins apartment complex on Sunday afternoon, killing the man inside. Two days later, no one knows why it happened.
What caused the pole to fall?
What we know:
Hopkins police and Xcel Energy are still working to determine what caused a utility pole to fall onto a car on Sunday, killing a 31-year-old man.
Investigators have not been able to explain why the utility pole came down outside the complex on Blake Road North, but police have confirmed one thing: the driver did not hit it.
Dig deeper:
Nearly two years ago, FOX 9 got an inside look at how Xcel inspects its aging utility poles.
Crews do it five days a week, checking from the ground and using drones for aerial views.
By the numbers:
The average utility pole in Minnesota is 54, four years older than what Xcel considers its "useful life." Records show that after 60 years, the failure rate nearly triples.
What they're saying:
In a statement, Xcel Energy said, in part: "The pole was inspected recently and was in compliance with all required safety standards." But the company did not specify how recently the inspection happened, and the age of the pole was not immediately clear.
The Source: Previous FOX 9 reporting.