Over 1 million remain in dark as PG&E considers more power shut-offs

[Lunix I]

More than a million Californians remained without power early Thursday after the state’s largest utility shut off electricity in an attempt to prevent windblown power lines from sparking devastating wildfires.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. began cutting power to customers shortly after midnight Wednesday in counties around Sacramento. The utility continued to cut power overnight into Thursday morning, affecting 234,000 customers in Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.

By early Thursday, PG&E had restored power to about 125,000 customers across the state, including 74,000 in Humboldt County. By sunrise, 600,000 customers were without electricity. That number was less than the projected 800,000 the utility had anticipated would lose power in the widespread outage.

However, more areas could lose power during the day, depending on weather conditions. The utility is still considering cutting off about 4,000 customers in the southern portion of its coverage area in Kern County.

Morning brought fierce winds to several counties in Northern California, the kind that bends treetops and causes cars to swerve.

The National Weather Service on Thursday issued a red flag warning for much of the region, signaling northerly winds between 15 and 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, and very low daytime humidity. The warning is in effect through Friday.

The high winds and dry weather create ideal fire conditions, authorities warn, with the potential to transform a spark into a raging inferno. PG&E fears windblown electrical lines could spark fires if power is not cut.

The utility has warned that some customers may be in the dark for up to five days, even after the winds subside, as the utility checks equipment and repairs fallen lines before restoring electricity.

The PG&E blackout marks the largest power shutoff to date as California utilities attempt to reduce the risk of wildfires that have charred thousands of acres, caused billions of dollars in damage and spurred cries for widespread change in how electricity is delivered over the state’s aging grid.

Equipment malfunctions have been tied to some of the state’s most destructive and deadliest fires, including the 2017 wine country blazes and last year’s Camp fire, which devastated the town of Paradise and killed 85 people.

In January, PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, anticipating multibillion-dollar legal claims stemming from the Camp fire, which also destroyed nearly 14,000 homes. A month later, officials at the utility acknowledged that its equipment probably sparked that blaze.

At a news conference Wednesday evening, PG&E officials signaled that these types of massive shut-offs during fire season might be the new normal.

Sumeet Singh, vice president of PG&E’s community wildfire safety program, said customers should anticipate similar shutdowns in the future until the utility has finished its wildfire safety plann “unless the weather changes significantly and the vegetation condition and the fuel-loading condition, and land and the forest management changes significantly within the state.”

“We understand that this power shutoff is difficult for our customers and communities. Please check on your neighbors, friends and family and know that we will work safely, and quickly as possible, to restore power across the region,” Singh said.

The power shut-offs have prompted backlash, with some residents saying they create a whole new set of dangers as they try to keep up with news about fires. Critics worry that communications and evacuations will be hampered when the power is out, especially if traffic signals don’t work and cellphone service is affected.

There also is concern about how those with health issues who rely on electrically powered medical equipment to stay alive will cope without power.

Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said Thursday he sent a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission asking the panel to conduct a review of how PG&E decided which areas should lose power and how the blackouts were implemented.

“Many questions remain unanswered as the state reels from the consequences of this decision by PG&E, chief among them why is PG&E alone in making this decision?” Hill wrote to the commission.

The outage prompted UC Berkeley to cancel classes for a second consecutive day. School officials say some buildings are running on generator power for “life safety, animal care and support of critical research infrastructure.” However, the generators cannot power the entire campus.

The Oakland Zoo also remained closed after the region lost power overnight. The zoo had closed ahead of the planned blackout, and staff rushed out to purchase additional generators to power exhibits for animal safety. The gas they have will power the generators for about four days, Darren Minier, assistant director of animal care, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

In Southern California, residents have anxiously watched how the power shut-downs have affected other parts of the state, wondering if it was a glimpse of what was to come for them.

Southern California Edison said Thursday that it still was considering preventive power outages across its service area. Given the strong Santa Ana winds forecast for the area, the utility said, power could be cut off to more than 173,000 customers in parts of nine counties in Southern and Central California: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Ventura, Kern, Tulare, Inyo and Mono.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said there were no plans to shut off power to residents in L.A. because the city is highly urbanized, with fewer wildfire-prone areas and an “extensive fire-suppression infrastructure.”

Times staff writers Anita Chabria and Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report.