Possible power outage for parts of Solano County this week
More than 870 customers west of Fairfield and Suisun City could lose power as soon as Wednesday evening, the utility said in a bulletin.
(Graphic by Solano News Update)
The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) is warning of possible public safety power shutoffs for this week — and for the first time in months, rural portions of Solano County could lose power because of this event.
On Monday, PG&E told customers in 21 counties that it may have to shut off power for safety reasons due to weather forecasts that triggered a Fire Weather Watch and later a Red Flag Warning. The company issued a public bulletin on the matter early Tuesday morning.
The move, called a public safety power shutoff or PSPS, is a strategy the utility uses to prevent the start of wildfires in areas where dangerous weather conditions could affect the company’s equipment. The strategy was designed after PG&E equipment was blamed for several deadly and destructive wildfires in recent years.
In Solano County, around 870 PG&E customers could have their power turned off on Wednesday between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the utility said. Those customers could be without power until Friday, PG&E said.
A map reviewed by Solano News Update showed most of the affected customers are located east of the Napa County-Solano County line and far west of Fairfield and Suisun City.
Immediate areas around Fairfield and Suisun City were not covered by the PSPS forecast as of Tuesday evening, and portions of rural Vacaville, Fairfield and Winters that experienced the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire in August were also not covered by the PSPS.
(Map courtesy Pacific Gas & Electric Company — Click or tap on the map for a larger view.)
Overall, more than 50,000 customers across 21 counties could lose their power starting Wednesday, PG&E said. The utility offers a webpage where customers can enter their address to see if they’re covered by a PSPS event. (Visit the webpage)
PG&E says affected customers should plan ahead for the possibility of a power outage by stocking up on water and non-perishable food, having batteries or an external backup source of power, ensuring a First Aid kit is fully stocked, charging cell phones and making sure cash and important documents are on-hand.
The possibility of a power shutoff coincides with a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday based on forecasts that call for gusty wind, low humidity and warm temperatures starting Wednesday morning. Brought together, those conditions will help new wildfires start quickly and spread rapidly, forecasters say.
Already this year, several wildfires have been triggered by severe weather, including the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire that started during a rare summer lightning storm in August and last month’s Glass Fire that was sparked during a similar Red Flag Warning.
Alert Solano
The Solano County Sheriff’s Department is requesting members of the community sign up for Alert Solano, a free service that offers real-time public safety alerts, including evacuation notices, severe weather, road closures/openings and other critical information. These alerts are delivered by phone call, text messages and/or email messages based on your preference. (Sign up here)
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