California faces historic power outage due to fire danger

Millions of people were poised to lose electricity throughout rrn and central California after Pacific Gas & Electric Co. anunced Tuesday it would shut off power in largest preventive out in state history to try to avert wildfires caused by faulty lines. PG&E said it would begin turning off power to 800,000 customers in 34 counties starting after midnight Wednesday amid forecasts of windy, dry wear that create an extreme fire danger. To south, Sourn California Edison also said Tuesday that more than 106,000 of its customers in parts of eight counties could face power cuts. Outs are planned in more than half of California’s 58 counties, although t everyone in those counties will have ir power cut.

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Possible shut-off

news came as residents in region’s wine country rth of San Francisco marked two-year anniversary of dely wildfires that killed 44 and destroyed thousands of homes. San Francisco is only county in nine-county Bay Area where power will t be affected. utility h warned of possibility of a widespre shut-off Monday, prompting residents to flock to stores for supplies as y prepared for dying cellphone batteries, automatic gars that won’t work and lukewarm refrigerators

Flashlights, batteries and propane tanks for barbecues were in high demand as people prepared for an out that PG&E said may last “several days.” “We sold out of lanterns this morning. shelf is completely empty,” said Howard Gibbs, manr at Ace Hardware in town of Lafayette, 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of San Francisco. “We’ve got just a few flashlights left, and we’re down to our last couple propane tanks, too.”

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Oakland grass fire

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf asked residents Tuesday t to clog 911 lines with n-emergencies and urged people to be prepared. city canceled all police officers’ days off in preparation for outs. “We all kw devastation that fires can cause,” she said. In 1991, a grass fire torched Oakland Hills, killing 25 people and destroying more than 3,000 homes. PG&E said it was informing customers by text and email about where and when power would be cut. But its website, where it directed people to check wher ir dresses would be affected, was t working most of day Tuesday after being overloed with visitors.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said PG&E h choice given that it would have faced liability for fire dam but he said customers are right to feel outrd. utility needs to upgre and fix its equipment so massive outs aren’t rm going forward, he said. “ one is satisfied with this, one is happy with this,” he said. out will also affect portions of agricultural Central Valley, state’s rrn and central coasts and Sierra Neva foothills where a vember wildfire blamed on PG&E transmission lines killed 85 people and devastated town of Parise. Jennifer Siemens, who lost her home in Parise, rents a house in nearby town of Oroville and said she was bracing for a third blackout in a month. Siemens h her car gassed up, h stocked up on bottled water and flashlights and me sure all family’s electronic devices were fully charged.

“What’s wrong with power lines that y have to do this so much?” asked Siemens. “We don’t want any more fires, obviously, but I feel like y are going a little overboard.”

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Bankruptcy protection

Winds can kck down live wires and power poles or drive trees and or vegetation into contact with m — and some of California’s most destructive blazes in recent years were started by PG&E power lines. But planned outs will t be limited to fire-prone areas because utilities must turn off entire distribution and transmission lines to much wider areas to minimize risk of wildfires. San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric sought bankruptcy protection in January, saying it could t afford an estimated $30 billion in potential dams from lawsuits stemming from recent wildfire. As part of ongoing bankruptcy litigation, last month company agreed to pay $11 billion to a group of insurance companies representing claimants from dely rrn California wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

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