California Utility Shuts Off Power to Thousands of People

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has temporarily shut off power for roughly 2,200 California residents as wildfire risk grows throughout the northern part of the state.

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On Wednesday, nearly the entire state of California was under an excessive heat warning or a heat advisory, with red flag warnings in place across many areas as well. These warnings alerted residents that the threat of wildfires was high due to weather, such as strong winds and low relative humidity. The weather-related warnings come as several wildfires burn across the state, including the Thompson Fire, which has grown to more than 3,000 acres in northern California, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) were in place on Tuesday and Wednesday for the following counties: Butte, Colusa, Glenn Lake, Napa, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama and Yolo. A PG&E spokesperson told Newsweek that the last time the company initiated a PSPS was in September 2023.

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“Severe weather, such as high winds, can cause trees or debris to damage equipment. If there is dry vegetation, this could lead to a wildfire,” a webpage about PSPS said. “That’s why we may need to turn power off to keep you safe. This temporary outage is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).”

PG&E explained that low humidity, high winds, dry material on the ground, vegetation growing near power lines, red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service, and real-time observations from weather experts and ground crews can cause conditions that prompt PSPS.

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“PG&E will begin restoring power to customers in areas where the extreme weather has passed and when it is safe to do so,” the spokesperson told Newsweek. “Restoration may be delayed for some customers if crews must repair significant damage to individual lines from wind-blown branches and other debris. All customers impacted by this PSPS are expected to have service restored this evening.”