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U.S. NEWS Monday 10 June 2019

California utility proactively cuts power because of weather

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) said in a statement Friday.
— Pacific Gas & Electric California experienced a
implemented a contro- very wet winter and spring,
versial practice of cutting and even vast areas that
power to selected portions were scorched earth af-
of Northern California on ter last year’s wildfires now
Saturday to guard against have new head-high brush
wildfires as the weather that is rapidly browning as
turned very windy, dry and summer approaches.
hot. Several fires have broken
Electricity was turned off out. On Saturday after-
around 6 a.m. to 1,600 noon, Yolo County issued
customers in parts Napa, mandatory evacuation
Solano and Yolo coun- orders for parts of Capay
ties. Just as that shutdown Valley, north of Guinda, a
was called off, the utility town of about 250 people,
warned 27,000 customers because of a fire nearby
in Butte, Yuba, Nevada, El that covers about 2 square
Dorado and Placer coun- miles, KRON reported .
ties that their power would The TV station says the fire is
be cut from 9 p.m. through burning near County Road
Sunday morning. 41 and Highway 16.
The end of the earlier shut- A grass fire Friday after-
down was announced noon near the Solano In this Nov. 26, 2018, file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric lineman
around 4 p.m., and the County community of Fair- works to repair a power line in fire-ravaged Paradise, Calif.
utility said power would field forced people out of Associated Press
be restored in those areas about 50 homes. But fire-
as soon as crews finished fighters held it to 24 acres
checking lines for any (10 hectares) without any
weather-related damage. structures lost and evacua-
Conditions ripe for fire — tions were lifted.
winds, low humidity, dry A wildfire near Interstate 5
vegetation and heat — in Stanislaus County grew
were expected to last to nearly 1 square mile
into Sunday. The National (2.59 sq. kilometer). But it
Weather Service office re- was 75 percent contained
ported a 71 mph (114 kph) Saturday, according to the
gust on one peak in the re- California Department of
gion. Forestry and Fire Protec-
A fire that erupted late in tion.
the day in Yolo County was The state’s electricity pro-
estimated at 100 acres; fire- viders have been given
fighters halted the spread authority to shut off power
of another after 25 acres when fire risk is extremely
burned northeast of Calis- high. The California Pub-
toga in Napa County. The lic Utilities Commission has
causes were not immedi- said they must do a better
ately known. job of educating and noti-
PG&E is under pressure fying the public, as well as
to prevent fire starts after increase fire prevention ef-
downed power lines and forts such as clearing brush
other company equip- and installing fire-resistant
ment have been blamed poles.
for conflagrations that be- The National Weather Ser-
gan during so-called fire vice’s red flag warning was
weather. issued for parts of the Cen-
But there has been oppo- tral Valley and the Sacra-
sition from customers who mento-San Joaquin River
rely on electrically pow- Delta for Saturday through
ered life-support equip- Sunday at elevations be-
ment as well as businesses low 1,000 feet (305 meters),
that have had to shut where there has been less
down for lack of power. rain recently and the veg-
“We know how much our etation is driest.
customers rely on electric A heat advisory issued
service, and our decision for the region around the
tonight to turn off power is San Francisco Bay warned
to protect our communities of record or near-record
experiencing extreme fire heat on Sunday, with wide-
danger,” Michael Lewis, spread highs from 95 to
PG&E’s senior vice presi- 105 degrees (35 to 40.5
dent of electric operations, Celsius).q