PG&E shuts off power to 16,000 customers due to fire risk

NAPA, California. – PG&E shut off power to about 16,000 customers on Friday because of the high fire risk and restored power to others who were no longer in the danger zone.

According to the utility's latest figures, half of those customers live in the Bay Area, with the majority of planned outages in Napa (approximately 3,000 customers).

According to PG&E, Solano County had 2,000 customers without power and Sonoma had 1,000.

The other major closures are also in Northern California toward Lake and Shasta counties.

Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were expected Friday afternoon into the evening, and PG&E said power outages for that reason could last into Sunday if the winds die down.

On Thursday, PG&E shut off power to about 13,000 customers.

With PG&E shutting off power to keep live utility poles from toppling in the wind and starting fires, the good news Friday morning was that no significant fires were reported in the Bay Area.

Ann Anguin of Napa was a little upset about the power outage. Their power was shut off at 5pm on Thursday

“We were warned that we would eventually lose it,” she said. “But they said they were doing it because they wanted to prevent fires. OK. That's wonderful. However, there were no strong winds. There was nothing going on. And the power goes out.”

For John Southerland of Sonoma, the power outage was more serious.

“As an insulin-dependent diabetic without a generator, this is a critical issue for me,” he said. “I need to put my insulin on ice.”

Although these outages are among the largest so far this year, PG&E said these power shutoffs have been dramatically reduced in size and scope since they were first implemented in 2019.

The utility said it had installed new technologies, including “microgrids” to fine-tune power shutdowns.

PG&E said it also added hundreds of cameras and weather stations to limit the extent of outages.

Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley said the barriers were necessary.

“I believe we made it through this event and I’m grateful for that,” he said. “Anytime the northerly wind blows in Northern California, you have to worry a little bit. But I believe we have survived this event. Let’s hope it stays that way until it starts raining and the grass turns green.”