Downed power lines, nearly 2,500 in outage as grass fire burns in West Sacramento
Nearly 2,500 homes and businesses were without electricity Thursday afternoon in West Sacramento as firefighters battled a grass fire with power lines down, affecting traffic signals in the area.
The West Sacramento Fire Department was working to extinguish the grass fire burning along Sacramento Avenue near Douglas Street, the West Sacramento Police Department announced shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Police said a power pole was knocked down in the area and causing safety concerns, along with power outages in the north area of the city. The power outages were affecting traffic signals.
Authorities closed Sacramento Avenue and C Street, stopping vehicle traffic from Sixth to Douglas streets. Police urged drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
A portion of Elkhorn Plaza is closed due to safety concerns from the downed power line, police said, and the closure is estimated to last two hours.
At 5:20 p.m., PG&E reported that 2,433 of its customers were without power in West Sacramento. Its outage map showed the affected area stretching along Sacramento Avenue from Oak Street west nearly to the Sacramento River.
Police said PG&E crews were at the scene assessing the damage and the power outage.
At 6:15 p.m. Thursday, police officials announced that firefighters had contained the grass fire. The preliminary investigation indicated the grass fire may have been the result of a hit-and-run vehicle crash, according to the Police Department.
Police said PG&E crews were working to restore power in the affected areas, and it’s anticipated to take about six hours to restore power. The road closures remained in place.
As of 6:30 p.m., PG&E reported there were still slightly over 2,000 customers without power in West Sacramento.
Police officials encouraged residents in the power outage area to seek somewhere else to stay until power is restored if they have medical conditions or may be affected by the heat; Sacramento reached a record-high 113 degrees Thursday afternoon, according to the Naional Weather Service.
The Police Department suggested these air-conditioned city facilities were available for residents to cool down:
▪ West Sacramento Recreation Center, 2801 Jefferson Blvd.; Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
▪ Arthur F. Turner Community Library, 1212 Merkley Ave.; Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
▪ West Sacramento Community Center, 1075 West Capitol Ave.; Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All these locations have access to water, restrooms and electricity for charging mobile devices. Police said there are no pets allowed; only service animals.
