Pacific Gas and Electric Company has expanded the number of customers who could lose power this week because of elevated fire conditions.
About 88,000 PG&E customers across parts of 29 California counties now face possible power shutoffs, up from an earlier announcement that 70,000 customers could be impacted.
PG&E said it plans to activate its Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) protocols from Wednesday through Saturday to reduce the chance of its equipment starting fires.
PG&E cited the elevated fire danger due to dry and gusty conditions and low humidity with the strongest winds expected in the Sierra, Southern Central Coast and parts of the North Bay and East Bay.
“We’re still closely tracking exactly where we expect the storm to impact the most,” Paul Moreno. a spokesperson for PG&E, said on Tuesday.
The utility said the shutoffs are a last resort designed to keep overhead power lines or equipment damaged by wind from sparking a wildfire.
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PG&E said it tries to give customers at least two days notice to help them prepare.
“Customers can do things like obtain dry ice to help keep their food and medicine cold, keep their electronic devices charged, and have generators on hand if needed,” Moreno said.
The outages could also impact 5,500 Medical Baseline customers and six tribal governments: Big Sandy Rancheria, Guidiville Rancheria, Mooretown Rancheria, North Fork Rancheria, Pit River Tribes and Tuolumne Rancheria.
A sign outside a Pollock Pines fire station showed high fire danger, highlighting the conditions that could lead to the shutoff. Officials said the weather and the need to prevent wildfires were driving the decision.
“At this point, it’s like here we go again, the breeze is blowing,” said Tim Roffe, a Pollock Pines resident.
Roffe added, “We’re a little more prepared up here than maybe other people would, because we do have snow, and we do get power outages for trees down and that kind of thing. But it’s still ridiculous that we have to have these power shutoffs due to weather.”
Bruce Jenkins, another Pollock Pines resident, expressed concern about the impact of the shutoffs.
“They do have to be worried about liability, but it’s going to be really hard for a lot of people,” Jenkins said.
Originally, PG&E said about 3,000 customers who were impacted by an earlier PSPS event last weekend could be affected again. That number rose when 25,000 customers were added.
The company also said about 7,300 customers included in the original planned shutoffs have been removed.
The El Dorado County Fire Protection District stressed the importance of having a plan in place, whether it involves staying with someone who has a generator or ensuring safe generator use.
“When generators are being used, that they’re used at least 20 feet away from any opening in the house, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, and not to use any generators within the house or next to the house because of the fire danger that they could pose,” said Jacob Poganski of the El Dorado County Fire Protection District.
PG&E has identified more than 40 community resource centers where customers can charge devices, access snacks, water, and Wi-Fi in the event of a shutoff.
(Video below: Here are fire safety tips for things you can do.)
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