PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff

PG&E Shutoff : The electrician who saved dozens of Napa wineries from a ruined Harvest

ByKris Reyes KGO logo

Saturday, October 12, 2019

PG&E Shutoff : The electrician who saved dozens of Napa wineries from a ruined Harvest

One hardworking electrician helped save dozen of Napa wineries from a bad harvest when the lights went out and now that the power is back on-- he can rest easy.

NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- When we walked into Keever Vineyard in Napa Valley on Friday evening, owner Jason Keever had no idea what time it was, only that he finally had power.

"It has been an ugly two days," he said.

Like many in the area, with the PG&E power shutoff, his staff had been scrambling to keep his fruits from spoiling ahead of Harvest. At the end of our interview, he couldn't stop thanking electrician Craig Fry at A+F Electric.

Fry hooked up his generator, that kept his fruits from spoiling.

"We've been lean, we've been scared but I'm so happy we're back," said Keever.

So, we had to call Fry to get a sense of what it's been like for those working behind the scenes to help businesses and homeowners desperate respond to the shutoff. Fry described a frantic, chaotic and exhausting two days.

"We've helped about 12 to 14 wineries and two restaurants and we've worked about 45 hours in the last three days," said Fry who is a partner at his company, working with a team of 15 people.

"Everyone was pretty frantic, we had winemakers standing there, can we go any faster, what can we do to help, can we get our guy help you?"

Fry's phone hasn't stopped ringing since the shutoff, at last count he was at 50 phone calls in just two days.

"We couldn't be in enough places, quick enough. We were trying to prioritize who had fruit, who didn't have fruit, who could we split off, where do we need to be next and try to keep everyone moving and try to get everyone hooked up and still keep everyone safe," Fry explained.

Clients like Keever, couldn't stop singing Fry's praises.

"I would just really like to thank all the electricians in Napa valley and Sonoma Valley who are out there, especially Craig at A+F Electric who saved our butts," said Keever.

Like many businesses in North Bay, the last two days has meant lost revenues and a mess to cleanup, now that power is back on. Keever says he's had to cancel tours and crucial visits to his vineyards. So, for him Fry is a local hero.

"We appreciate that very much and the kind words. Honestly, we're just doing our jobs. And these people are great people, as all our clients and we want to do everything we can to help them stay online and keep moving forward so they can process their fruits," Fry said.

For the latest stories about PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff go here.

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