PG&E poised to cut power
9 counties may face outages to reduce fire risk
Extreme fire danger in Northern California this week prompted PG&E on Wednesday to warn of possible power outages as the company considers shutting off electricity to keep downed wires from sparking a blaze.
About 70,000 customers across nine counties, including parts of the North Bay, were scheduled to receive notifications about the preemptive blackouts, which would begin Thursday and mark just the second time the utility has employed such a fire-prevention tactic.
Last month, officials at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. turned off power for two days for up to 60,000 people during a period of strong winds. The utility was widely praised for heeding the lessons of last year’s deadly Northern California wildfires, many of which were blamed on sparks from power lines, though some criticized the outages as an unnecessary inconvenience.
“Obviously this is something we do only as a last resort when we really feel like it’s essential to protecting the safety of our customers and communities,” said PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Robison.
Since last year, the company has expanded its forecasting abilities with a series of weather stations that continuously monitor fire danger across the many microclimates of its service area.
Officials said expectations of high winds Thursday, on top of a red-flag warning
issued by the National Weather Service, could bring preemptive outages as early as sunrise
“Customers and communities should be prepared to wake up Thursday morning with the potential of not having power,” Robison said.
The areas affected include the Napa County communities of St. Helena, Angwin and Pope Valley and unincorporated areas in northeast Sonoma County. Also on alert are parts of Butte, Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra and Yuba counties.
PG&E officials said they try to confine the outages to places where they’re absolutely warranted. While the size of an area where PG&E can shut off power varies, the company does not reveal how many customers are affected by an individual switch, for privacy reasons.
When a preemptive outage is initiated, PG&E officials say that as a matter of policy they inspect every mile of line where the power was out to ensure no wind damage was sustained and that power can be restored safely.
“It’s not as simple as flipping a switch,” Robison said.
Kathy Flamson, a clerk for the city of Calistoga, experienced last month’s power shutoff and said it was most inconvenient during meal times.
“We didn’t want to lose the food in the fridge,” she said. In the future, Flamson said her family would use a cooler instead of relying on the refrigerator.
Gusty northern winds, dry vegetation and low humidity across Northern California have created prime circumstances for wildfires.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued the red-flag warning to take effect from Wednesday night to Friday morning in the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills. Those areas are expecting wind gusts up to 45 mph, and any fires that spark could spread rapidly. The biggest threats exist in the hills of eastern Napa County and areas around Atlas Peak, Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton, officials said.
Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said crews are preparing for possible wildfires by increasing staff in affected areas and making sure engines and aircraft are ready to go.
“Those in affected areas with these predicted severe winds tonight and tomorrow morning need to be ready to evacuate,” McLean said. “Have your go kits ready to go and make sure to have a full tank of gas.”
While some residents felt PG&E was evading responsibility with the shutoffs, Flamson said after the Tubbs Fire that a plan for shutting off power when conditions are unsafe was one recommendation she heard.
“Short of undergrounding all the wires, this seems like what we’ve asked PG&E to do,” she said. “It’s part of living in this area at this point. It’s our new normal.”