PG&E Shutoffs Planned This Week for Thousands in Northern California Due to Fire Risk
PG&E warned approximately 7,800 customers across 10 Northern California counties to prepare for possible public safety power shutoffs beginning Wednesday due to elevated fire risks.
Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties are among the counties listed on the utility’s website as “under warning” on Wednesday and Thursday, due to high winds. More than 2,000 customers in Marin could be affected, according to a PG&E press release.
The company is tracking a potential “high wind event” expected to reach portions of 10 counties across the North, South and East Bay around 1 p.m. Wednesday, as well as Salinas Valley, San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast.
PG&E’s public service announcement also cited “high winds, low relative humidity and dry fuel loads” as key factors contributing to the fire risk. It also noted that dry weather in March has contributed to an earlier fire season.
Evan Duffey, PG&E’s manager of forecasting and operations, said that the winds are blowing in from the Northwest and are not the Diablo winds that often contribute to California fires.
Duffey said that the outages should be “relatively short-lived” and emphasized that “this is a very targeted and small area that we’re concerned with.”
PG&E said it initiates the shutoffs when severe weather conditions pose a significant fire threat, even if the weather appears calm. Power lines often travel through different regions, and the line serving one community may pass through a higher-risk area.
KQED’s Nina Thorsen contributed to this story.