Pacific Gas & Electric customers in parts of San Joaquin County could face power shutoffs starting Thursday and running through the weekend as predictions of high winds heighten wildfire concerns.
A map of the potential shutoffs shows most are northwest of Tracy. The National Weather Service forecasts wind gusts up to 29 mph over the next couple of days, following high temperatures and continued dry conditions.
PG&E lists “shutoffs likely” through Sunday. They reach into a large swath of Northern and Central California. Besides San Joaquin, other counties under the alert include Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Shasta, Tehama and Trinity. The shutoffs aren’t currently expected in Stockton.
The giant utility said it has been taking additional steps to improve its ability to prevent downed power lines from starting fires.
Downed power lines were found to have caused the 2018 Camp fire that killed 85 people, destroyed 19,000 buildings and devasted much of the town of Paradise. In 2020, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of unlawfully starting a fire in a case related to the Camp fire, NPR reported.
PG&E says it has buried more than 900 miles of power lines since 2021 on the way to 1,600 miles by 2026. It also is strengthening power poles and covering overhead lines, moves that it expects will lead to a 67% reduction in wildfire ignition risk.
The utility also has developed a system that turns off power within a tenth of a second if a wildfire hazard is determined. It says the system helps limit the number of people affected by outages, and for those who have experienced the shutoffs, the duration was reduced by 17% compared to the previous two-year period.
Other agencies have already taken precautions amid fire weather worries. Last week, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection suspended issuing residential burn permits across several Northern California counties, including the eastern part of San Joaquin County. The ban means that residents will be forbidden from the outdoor burning of leaves, branches or other landscaping waste.
Amid elevated fire weather concerns, the National Weather Service suggests avoiding all outdoor burning as well as using equipment that create sparks.