PG&E Restoring Power To North Bay Communities Affected By Shutoff

NORTH BAY, CA — Crews on Saturday afternoon started the process of turning power back on for 1,600 customers in North Bay, where PG&E cut off power earlier in the day due to wildfire risk. The utility is inspecting power lines to make sure they are safe before restoring power, a spokesman said. The PG&E inspections, done during daylight hours, started about 2:30 p.m. It could take up to 48 hours for power to restored to some customers.

The shutoff took effect at 6:15 a.m. Saturday and targeted areas of extreme fire risk. Those areas included portions of unincorporated Napa County including Lake Berryessa and portions of Solano County including parts of Suisun City and unincorporated areas near Vacaville and Winters.

The power shutoff was triggered by several factors that included a Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service, low humidity levels, high temperatures, sustained winds generally above 25 mph and wind gusts in excess of approximately 45 mph. In addition, the dry condition of fuel on the ground and live vegetation are also factors.

In Napa County, two charging stations are available for those without power and needing to charge cell phones or other devices on Saturday.

Charging stations are located at the Capell Valley Volunteer Station, 1193 Capell Valley Road and Gordon Valley Volunteer Station, 1345 Wooden Valley Cross Road.

— Bay City News Service