More than 24,000 households without power in Solano County
(Photo: A power pole leans on an apartment building in Suisun City on Wednesday, January 26, 2021. Photo courtesy Cindy Plascencia, Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
More than 24,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers are without power throughout Solano County, according to officials with the county’s Office of Emergency Services.
The figure was accurate as of 2 a.m. and was based on information provided by the utility, the agency said.
Large portions of Dixon, rural Vacaville and Rio Vista were blacked out, according to PG&E’s outage map. Neighborhoods in Fairfield, Suisun and Vallejo were also experiencing significant outages.
The blackouts were triggered by a severe wind and rain storm that left power lines dangling in roadways and toppled power poles throughout the region.
Near Rio Vista, a crash involving a big rig was reported along Highway 12 mere minutes after the California Highway Patrol said a blackout was affecting traffic signals in the area.
Residents in Vacaville, Dixon and Suisun City reported power poles and trees crashing down onto homes as the storm whipped up winds that reached more than 50 miles per hour in some places.
In Suisun City, eyewitness Cindy Plascencia snapped a photo of a power pole leaning on top of an apartment building. The damage caused a blackout affecting nearly 300 customers there.
Fire crews responding to that incident kept an eye on the power pole until a utility crew from PG&E could arrive to the scene, according to dispatches reviewed by Solano NewsNet.
Utility crews are working around-the-clock to repair infrastructure damaged by the wind. As of 2 a.m., PG&E was not able to provide an estimated time of restoration for power to thousands of people in Solano County.
Even more damage could be reported in the coming hours: Forecasters say high winds are likely to remain in the region over the next few hours. A High Wind Advisory is in place for all of Solano County and other portions of the Sacramento Valley until 8 a.m.
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