Power Shutoff Impacts Thousands In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Thousands of Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers in Marin County found themselves in the dark Monday morning after the utility shut off power to about 361,000 customers across 36 counties beginning Sunday.

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, including 13,809 customers in Marin County.

PG&E has set up four community resource centers at the following locations in Marin:

• Marin City Health & Wellness Center: 630 Drake Ave., Marin City
• Old Mill Elementary School: 352 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley
• High School 1327 (formerly Sir Francis Drake High School): 1327 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo
• National Park Beach Parking Lot: 15 Calle Del Mar, Stinson Beach

The centers are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Centers offer device charging, accessible restrooms, WiFi and snacks and water.

Shutoffs are expected to continue into late Monday evening, as windy weather is expected to subside Monday morning for most of those affected, according to the utility. Some areas are forecast to have windy weather into Tuesday morning.

PG&E said it will restore power after the winds have died down and crews are able to safely inspect utility equipment.

Patch editors Courtney Teague and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.