Thousands left without power in Contra Costa County

The extreme heat has triggered widespread power outages across the Bay, and in Contra Costa County close to 2,000 homes were left without power Wednesday.

Its an issue PG&E said was likley due to failing transponders that were not able to cool off in the unrelenting heat.

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“We're just getting started with this heat event,” said Scott Springfield with PG&E. “We expect the fire danger to keep rising, and we are monitoring anytime there's a fire weather watch or fire alert from any external agency."

The heat is already to blame for unplanned power outages and is forcing people to find other ways to keep cool as their homes heat up. PG&E said the outages are likely caused by falling transformers that cannot cool down. NBC Bay Area's Jessica Aguirre talked with Tamar Sarikissian, the utility company's corporate relations representative, to understand what is happening and what it being done to resolve the issues.

Crews worked across the county working on repairs. But as temperatures reached the triple digits, lights went off.

Ava Kontaxis said she had to go to a nearby coffeeshow to stay cool.

“We didn't have power for a couple hours, and you know it was crazy, because we'd be just doing whatever and all of the sudden the power would go out,” Kontaxis said.