Wildfire safety blackouts in California by PG&E could leave homes without power till Friday
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., discusses federal funding for coronavirus relief and financial support to fight wildfires.
A return of bone-dry humidity and gusty winds Wednesday in Northern Calfornia during the peak of wildfire season is expected to result in power outages for tens of thousands of customers that could last until Friday.
The nation’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), warned it may begin power shutoffs by Wednesday evening to as many as 54,000 customers in 24 counties.
“We really view it as a last resort option,” Mark Quinlan, the company’s incident commander, said at a briefing on Tuesday.
POWER OUTAGES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MAY IMPACT 50,000 PG&E CUSTOMERS IN SAFETY SHUTOFFS
Wind gusts possibly hitting 55 mph have spurred the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a red-flag warning from 5 a.m. Wednesday through Friday morning.
While PG&E said it will make a final decision sometime on Wednesday