PG&E warns it may cut power amid extreme fire risk
As its leaders toured the town burned out by the state’s worst fire in history, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says it is monitoring Northern California weather and might enact public safety power shutoffs Saturday or Sunday, the first this year, that could affect dozens of cities amid “extreme” fire risk conditions in the Sierra foothills and North Bay Area.
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento and Bay Area offices on Friday morning put Red Flag Warnings into effect for most of the weekend, as high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds will combine to create a critical threat of fire activity.
PG&E said a potential public safety power shutoff could occur within the next 18 to 36 hours, in an advisory tweet and news release about 12:30 p.m. Friday.
California Assemblyman James Gallagher, whose district includes Butte and Yuba counties, shared PG&E’s announcement almost immediately to his official Facebook page, warning that areas affected in a potential shutdown in those two counties would include parts of Paradise, Chico, Oroville, Berry Creek, Browns Valley, Marysville, Wheatland and other nearby areas.
“I wanted to notify you of an announcement from PG&E this morning that it might proactively turn power off in several Northern California counties within the next 18 to 36 hours to reduce the risk of wildfire,” Gallagher wrote. “Power might be shut off starting around 9 p.m. on Saturday with the peak period of fire risk lasting until 10 a.m. on Sunday.”
PG&E says it is working with Cal Fire and the state Office of Emergency Services, as well as monitoring National Weather Service data, to monitor conditions.
“To help reduce the risk of wildfire and keep our customers, their families and their homes and businesses safe, the company may be turning off power in areas of the North Bay and the Sierra foothills where extreme fire risks exist,” PG&E said in a news release.
Other cities where power may be shut off include parts of Davis, Winters, Vacaville, Auburn, Suisun City, Lincoln, Napa, and Lake Berryessa, as well as other portions of Butte, Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Solano and Napa counties, according to the news release.
“We know how much our customers rely on electric service and would only consider temporarily turning off power in the interest of safety during extreme weather conditions,” Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of electric operations, said in a prepared statement.
The announcement came as top leaders of PG&E Corp. toured the area devastated by the Camp Fire.