Northern California fires:
PG&E prepared for blazes based on weather report.
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s weather forecasting office warned the utility that a big windstorm could strike Northern California that weekend, raising the threat of wildfires to the highest possible level.
In response, the company started assembling emergency response teams, planning how many workers would be needed and where they would be placed, and preparing for the possibility of blackouts. As the weekend approached, PG&E positioned workers and equipment, ready to restore power if necessary.
The Wine Country fires erupted Sunday night, Oct. 8, as fierce winds raked the area. The flames moved so quickly and covered so much area that even though PG&E had people ready to restore service, the company would have to wait days before state fire officials let them into some of the hardest-hit areas.
PG&E’s preparation work is sketched out in a memo sent to California utility regulators in October, explaining steps the company took to get ready for the windstorm. About 359,000 PG&E customers lost power because of the fires, which destroyed entire neighborhoods and killed 44 people.
The memo, dated Oct. 17 and released by the California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday, came in response to questions from the commission’s safety division about how PG&E prepared for the winds. One section of it shows how PG&E’s planning advanced hour by hour, driven by the company’s weather forecasts.
It also discusses in detail a step PG&E did not take: shutting down power lines in advance of the storm.
Southern California Edison, the electric utility serving fire-ravaged Ventura County, reported Wednesday that it may need to switch off some of its power lines this week as strong Santa Ana winds continue to blast the region. On Thursday, Edison shut down electrical lines to the rural Idyllwild area, in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County.
Although Edison’s power lines have not been implicated in this week’s devastating Southern California fires, the state has a long history of wildfires sparked by electrical lines arcing in strong winds or tangling with trees. State investigators are still trying to determine whether PG&E’s equipment played a role in starting the Wine Country fires.
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. periodically shuts down some of its power lines during periods of high wind. On Thursday, the utility switched off power lines affecting roughly 12,000 customers, and warned that their electricity could remain off for several days, because of the fierce gusts.
But PG&E has resisted the idea. In the memo, PG&E points out that an intentional blackout can create its own safety risks.
“De-energizing lines can affect first responders and the operation of critical facilities such as hospitals, the provision of water and other essential services, street lights and signals, communications systems, operation of building systems such as elevators, and much more,” the memo reads. “The impact on public safety is potentially dramatic and becomes more so depending on how widespread de-energizing is utilized.”