PG&E may cut power to 4,200 customers in Northern California to help prevent wildfires - KTXL FOX 40 Sacramento
PG&E may cut power to 4,200 customers in Northern California to help prevent wildfires
(FOX40.COM) — Nearly 4,200 PG&E customers in several Northern California counties and two Tribal communities may have energy cut off to their homes and businesses this week in an effort to limit the start and spread of wildfires, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday.
The company said it may need to take action due to dry conditions and forecasted winds in the northern part of the state starting on Wednesday evening and continuing into Thursday.
In recent years, the company’s equipment has been found responsible for several wildfires, leading to the implementation of power shutoffs as a precautionary measure.
PG&E said the following counties and Tribal communities may be affected during the power shutoff.
- Butte County: 435 customers, 36 Medical Baseline customers
- Colusa County: 484 customers, 37 Medical Baseline customers
- Glenn County: 349 customers, 18 Medical Baseline customers
- Lake County: 186 customers, 20 Medical Baseline customers
- Napa County: 7 customers, 0 Medical Baseline Customers
- Shasta County: 1,558 customers, 131 Medical Baseline customers
- Tehama County: 1,117 customers, 124 Medical Baseline customers
- Yolo County: 10 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Grindstone Rancheria: 48 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
- Pit River Tribes: 8 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
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The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for parts of the Northern Sacramento Valley starting at 11 p.m. on Wednesday and continuing to 6 p.m. the following day.
The NWS forecasts low humidity and wind gusts as strong as 35 miles per hour, both of which contribute to easier fire starts and the potential for “rapid spread of fire.”
The watch has been issued in an area that overlaps with the region listed by PG&E.
The company said that it is actively notifying customers who may be affected and that it will strive to stay in contact with “Medical Baseline customers,” those who have medical conditions that require them to have electricity to power life-saving equipment.