PG&E is warning that up to 28,000 customers across several counties may need to have their power shut off for safety reasons starting Thursday because of dry and windy weather conditions that pose a risk of sparking and spreading wildfires.
People can look up if their location is at risk of the utility's Public Safety Power Shutoff actions by visiting pge.com/pspsupdates.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for much of the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California starting at 11 p.m. Thursday because of a forecast of low humidity and winds of 25-35 mph with isolated gusts of up to 65 mph in higher elevations. The warning is in effect until 5 p.m. Saturday.
The customers being monitored for the power shutoffs include 28 in Alameda County, 805 in Contra Costa County, 10 in Mendocino County, 576 in Monterey County, 648 in Napa County, 2,467 in Solano County and 707 in Sonoma County.
PG&E said in a statement that when it comes to the shutoffs, the utility's "overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe."
PG&E has been sending advanced notifications to customers about the possible shutoffs and is encouraging people to update their contact information if needed by visiting pge.com/mywildfirealerts or calling (800) 743-5000.
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