By admin 
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has initiated public safety power shutoffs in Placer and Nevada counties, causing just over 1,700 customers to temporarily lose power as of midday Saturday.
Read more California’s Tribal Food Sovereignty Program one step closer to action with $15M
The initial round of shutoffs were issued for customers in the Sierra Nevada range near Donner Summit and Soda Springs and nearby foothills. Those shutoffs started around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and were scheduled to conclude by 11 a.m., according to PG&E’s outage webpage.
PG&E reported about 1,350 homes and businesses experiencing shutoffs in Placer County and about 360 in Nevada County, with PG&E in earlier statements advising that the shutoff in Nevada County could increase to about 760 during the day.
More shutoffs are likely as the weekend continues. PG&E warned that close to 14,000 customers in portions of about a dozen Northern California counties and four tribal areas could have their power turned off as wildfire risk increases across California in the next few days due to windy, dry weather..
Portions of counties in the northern Sierra and northern Sacramento Valley will require shutoffs today, including El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra and Tehama counties, according to the PG&E website.
Early Saturday morning, the National Weather service issued a red flag warning for wildfire danger for northern portions of the Sacramento Valley and northern Sierra Nevada foothills.
While the warning is in place, weather conditions will make it easier for fires to start and spread rapidly. Temperatures are expected to decrease, but gusty winds and low humidity will increase the potential for wildfire activity across much of Northern and Central California, recent forecasts show.
PG&E shuts off power preemptively when forecasts call for strong winds, low humidity and dry conditions that could allow electrical equipment to spark a wildfire, with red flag conditions like gusty winds and single-digit humidity triggering recent shutoffs earlier this summer.
Read more LGBTQ-owned stationery store opens at Sacramento’s Arden Fair mall
PG&E said possible shutoffs Saturday could affect portions of El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra and Tehama counties. Homes and businesses that could be affected include:
- Colusa: 529 customers
- El Dorado: 729 customers
- Glenn: 611 customers
- Lassen: 744 customers
- Nevada: 762 customers
- Placer: 1,318 customers
- Plumas: 4,768 customers
- Shasta: 2,658 customers
- Sierra: 583 customers
- Tehama: 1,080 customers
- Yolo: 9 customers
- Grindstone Rancheria (Glenn): 46 customers
- Greenville Rancheria (Plumas): 31 customers
- Cortina Rancheria (Colusa): 8 customers
- Pit River Tribes (Shasta): 4 customers
Close to Sacramento, potential Saturday shutoffs were concentrated largely in higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, according to PG&E’s outage map.
In El Dorado County, most of the areas identified by PG&E were along the Highway 50 corridor around Twin Bridges and Echo Lake, areas southwest of Meyers.
In Placer and Nevada counties, much of the potential shutoff area followed the Interstate 80 corridor from Emigrant Gap to just west of Donner Lake, including Kingvale, Soda Springs and Norden.
Potential shutoffs in the Sacramento Valley were scattered across areas of Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties west of Interstate 5. Near Redding, most of the areas identified by PG&E were along Highway 299 west of Lower Springs Road, including Keswick and the community of Shasta.
On Sunday, the potential shutoff area expands to portions of Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama and Yolo counties. By Monday, PG&E said possible shutoffs were limited to portions of Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties.
Customers can sign up for updates about shutoffs in their area or at their specific address on the PG&E site.
Read more Red flag fire warning issued for the weekend in Sacramento Valley. What to know