PG&E public safety power shutoffs in effect for some Bay Area counties

CLAYTON, Calif. (KGO) -- PG&E could cut power to thousands of Bay Area customers due to increased fire threat this week.

Those affected are in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

As of 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the power shutoffs are in effect in Solano, Napa and Sonoma counties, according to PG&E.

"Due to elevated wildfire risk conditions, we are preparing for a public safety power shutoff event across portions of the Bay Area," said Jake Zigelman, vice president of PG&E's Bay Area region.

Zigelman says weather patterns over the last couple of days have held steady. But the risk of heavy sustained winds is cause for concern.

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"Higher winds than we have seen over the last three years. And with low residual humidity, there is dry, flashy fuels," he said.

PG&E crews are monitoring the threat of wildfires. It began notifying customers in targeted areas where power may be cut in an effort to reduce the risk of wildfires.

"Right now we are seeing possible impact to around 8,000 customers across portions of the bay, so that is mostly in the lesser populated areas across the Bay," Zigelman said.

In Contra Costa County, PG&E forecasts that up to 1,000 customers could be impacted. One of the areas in rural parts of Clayton, power lines run through areas of dry vegetation.

Debbie Rovere, who lives in Clayton, got an alert from PG&E warning of possible cuts. She said her HOA maintains the landscape regularly. But living in an area with power lines and dry hills is always a concern.

"I am always concerned about that," Rovere said. "Even though they are cutting branches, trimming trees, there is a threat. And I think we should all be aware of that."

Zigelman said there has been major upgrades to PG&E's infrastructure, such as installing stronger poles and installing hundreds of sectionalizing devices, which allow it to zone in on specific areas on the grid. He said that's why fewer households face power cuts.

"Had this event occurred in 2019 when we didn't have those sectionalizing devices installed, when we didn't have our weather station monitoring network, or high-definition camera network, as prevalent as it is today, we would be seeing a much larger event," Zigelman said.