During the first ten months of 2025, Missouri experienced more than 2,700 wildfires, which burned over 110,000 acres across the state. Of that total, approximately 9,300 acres were burned due to wildfires sparked by power lines. In May 2025, the Missouri Public Service Commission asked utilities to detail their wildfire mitigation plans, in hopes of developing best practices for utilities to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect Missouri communities.
In The Beacon article, “As Missouri wildfire risk grows, regulators and utilities take ‘proactive’ steps on prevention and preparedness,” CRA energy expert Andrew Dressel offered his valuable perspective on the nationwide challenge of wildfires, the strategies utilities are employing, and the outlook for Missouri.
Drawing on his experience working with utilities to manage risk, Dressel provided thoughtful analysis of the information utilities shared regarding their wildfire mitigation plans, specifically addressing areas such as infrastructure maintenance, risk assessment, forecasting, and emergency communications, key topics that regulators have requested in an effort to strengthen preparedness and prevention measures statewide.
Looking ahead to Missouri’s wildfire prevention efforts, Dressel emphasized that, “even if the commission opts to recommend best practices rather than require them progress has been made…just asking these questions have probably spurred most of the utilities to action.”
