Power Shutoff To More Than 16,000 Customers In Alameda County

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — Thousands of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers across Alameda County woke to find themselves in the dark Monday morning after the utility shut off power to 361,000 customers across 36 counties beginning Sunday night.

But there were no catastrophic wildfires sparked by high winds that peaked at nearly 90 mph in the higher elevations.

On Monday, the National Weather Service extended a Red Flag Warning for the East Bay, which means re-energizing the lines will likely be pushed back.

The public safety power shutoffs were a preemptive move to minimize the chance of utility equipment sparking a wildfire as winds wallop the Golden State. The utility's service area was forecast to see "the driest humidity levels and the strongest winds of the wildfire season thus far, that together create high risk of catastrophic wildfires," PG&E said in a news release.

PG&E customers in all Bay Area counties, except for San Francisco, were slated to lose power. Here in the East Bay, that includes about 16,800 in Alameda County and another 15,500 in Contra Costa.

The Oakland Zoo is closed Monday and possibly Tuesday because its power was cut. Backup generators are providing power to exhibits to protect the animals. If you have Monday or Tuesday tickets to Boo at the Zoo, they may be used on Wednesday or Thursday. Friday and Saturday are sold out.

Across the East Bay, trees and large limbs crashed down, among other signs of destruction.

PG&E has set up community resource centers at the following locations where impacted residents may charge cell phones, laptops and other devices; use WiFi, and grab water and snacks:

• Berkeley: UC Berkeley, 1 Tanglewood Road, Berkeley, 94705
• Danville: Costco Wholesale, 3150 Fostoria Way, Danville, 94526
• Dublin: Shannon Community Center, 11600 Shannon Ave., Dublin, 94568
• Lafayette: Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette, 94549
• Moraga: Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Lane, Moraga, 94556
• Oakland: Merritt College, 12500 Campus Dr., Oakland 94619
• San Leandro: Formosan United Methodist Church, 788 Lewelling Blvd., San Leandro, 94579

The National Weather Service Red Flag Warning was set to expire at 11 a.m. Monday but has been extended in the East Bay and North Bay through 5 p.m. Tuesday. The extension means that the following East Bay Park will remain closed through Wednesday morning: Wildcat Canyon, Tilden, Reinhardt Redwood, Roberts, Huckleberry, Sibley, Claremont Canyon, Leona Canyon, Anthony Chabot, Lake Chabot, and Kennedy Grove.

— Patch editors Bea Karnes and Courtney Teague contributed to this story