PG&E expands possible shutoffs for fire danger to 22,000 customers in 17 California counties
Ahead of potentially dangerous winds that could spark wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is warning of possible public safety power shutoffs affecting nearly 22,000 customers across a wide swath of Northern and Central California beginning as early as Tuesday evening.
The number of homes and businesses affected grew by roughly 6,400 by Tuesday morning, officials said. The largest changes were expected in Alameda and Solano counties, where nearly 2,000 and 1,350 customers, respectively, were added to the potential shutoff list. Yolo County’s outage threat grew to 434 customers from 71.
The utility, blamed for sparking several wildfires across the region including the deadliest blaze in state history, said it was preparing for the potential of engineered outages amid forecasts of gusty northerly winds across the state.
The shutoffs are expected for homes and businesses in Yolo County west of the Interstate 505 corridor, as well as ratepayers in the Stonyford area of western Colusa County and areas west of Orland, Corning and Willows in Glenn and Tehama counties.
Some areas east of Highway 70 in Butte and Plumas County could also see power disruptions. The communities of Concow in Butte County and Storrie in Plumas County are also expected to have power interrupted amid high winds.
In all, 12 counties could see outages on Tuesday: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus and Yolo. On Wednesday, the list could grow to 17 with the addition of Colusa, Glenn, Kern, Mendocino and Tehama counties.
During power shutoffs, the utility may interrupt power to specific areas to reduce the risk of fire caused by power lines and other electric infrastructure.
Strong winds forecast across Northern California
A red flag warning issued across the Bay Area and Central Coast was extended to the Sacramento Valley. National Weather Service forecasters in Sacramento now say the red flag warning is in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Thursday through the southern Sacramento Valley and into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Sacramento forecasters say winds will be 20 to 30 mph, with gusts reaching 50 mph. The strongest winds are expected across the Delta. Humidity is expected to be as low as 10%.
Forecasters say the combination of gusty winds from the north and east, known as “diablo winds,” and dry conditions poses the greatest threat in the west half of the Sacramento Valley and the Delta area.
“Strongest gusts will be focused around the Delta, where there is a 40 to 60% chance of gusts greater than 50 mph,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
Humidity levels in the area are expected to be between 10% and 25% during the day with little overnight recovery in moisture. Forecasters warned that the driest conditions would overlap areas with the strongest winds.
“The question still remains, whether or not available fuels will be dry enough to support large fire spread given the recent cooler temperatures and moisture,” the weather service said in the forecast discussion.
Cal Fire has also temporarily suspended burning in Sacramento County, Amador County, and the west slope of El Dorado County through Thursday.
No Election Day impacts expected
Polling places should not be affected by outages, utility officials said. There are 7,000 Election Day polling locations in PG&E’s service area and 48 tabulation centers.
“PG&E has been working with state and local election officials for more than a month to prepare for Election Day,” the utility said in a Tuesday update. “We’ve identified five polling locations in three counties within the PSPS scope. PG&E is staging temporary generation to ensure votes can be cast.”
No tabulation centers are within the scope of the PSPS, utility officials said.
“We recognize that Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day. PG&E has been working with state and local election officials for more than a month to prepare accordingly,” officials previously said.
PG&E to open resource centers
Five community resource centers will be opened by PG&E in the Sacramento Valley and Delta regions, among 11 across Northern California. They are:
Joseph Nelson Community Center: 611 Village Drive, Suisun City, CA 94585; 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday
Twin Pine Casino and Hotel: 22223 Highway 29, Middletown, CA 95461; 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday
Stonyford Community Hall: 229 Market St., Stonyford, CA 95979; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday
Elk Creek High: 3430 County Road 309, Elk Creek, CA 95939; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday
Rancho Tehama Association: 17605 Park Terrace Road, Corning, CA 96021; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday
The centers will have restrooms, blankets, water, snacks, Wi-Fi and charging stations for cellphones and small medical devices.
Utility blamed for past wildfire events
PG&E in recent years has imposed power shutoffs in the face of dire wildfire weather. The utility company’s equipment has been blamed for sparking some of the worst fires in state history, including the 2018 Camp Fire that devastated Paradise, and PG&E Corp. has been found liable for billions of dollars worth of destruction.
The utility since 2017 has been blamed for starting more than 30 wildfires, blazes that destroyed more than 23,000 homes and businesses and has killed more than 100 people. Since then, PG&E has been working to underground many electricity lines in fire-prone areas, which it says is the most effective way to reduce fire risk and is making California’s grid more resilient to climate change by leading to a notable reduction in wildfire ignitions this season.
More than 1 million acres have burned in California this year across nearly 7,200 different wildfire incidents, according to Cal Fire, though none have been identified as being started by the utility’s equipment.
More information on the potential PSPS and how to get alerts is available on PG&E’s website.
The Bee’s Daniel Hunt contributed to this story.
