PG&E Power Shutoff Latest: 74K In Solano Co., North Bay Affected

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — The first of three phases in a widespread PG&E public safety power outage was implemented early Wednesday morning, leaving more than 74,000 customers in the North Bay and 513,000 across Northern California in the dark. The utility giant started cutting power at 12 a.m. across significant portions of its service territory, including in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Yolo, Lake, Mendocino and Colusa counties.

Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties the hardest hit as of 2 a.m. Wednesday. The city of Fairfield had 17,963 customers powerless, while 13,665 were without power in Vacaville. The outage was affecting 19,357 PG&E customers in Napa, 15,925 in the city of Sonoma, 6,685 in St. Helena and 3,321 in Calistoga.

In Santa Rosa, 8,140 customers were affected, while in Rohnert Park there were 2,105 without power. Sausalito had 2,564 affected by the outage, while 2,034 in Tamalpais-Homestead Valley had no electric service.

Several unincorporated areas in Napa, Marin, Solano and Sonoma counties were also hit hard with power outages.

Elsewhere in the North Bay, officials with the city of Vallejo said Vallejo has not been affected by the shutoff as previously anticipated.

"Though Vallejo did not lose power, power outages in other areas affect the city's ability to supply water, and the city thanks the Water Department for their preparations," city officials said.

PG&E did shut off power to the Green Valley Water Treatment Plant in Vallejo, but the facility and pump station are operating normally on backup power until PG&E resumes normal service.

In the city of Fairfield, the Police Department asked its residents to use caution at intersections where traffic lights are out because of the outage. Affected intersections are four-way stops; police ask motorists to "not just drive through" the intersections without first looking both ways.

The Napa County Office of Emergency Services at 6:29 a.m. said that because of the outage, "many traffic lights are not working."

In Calistoga, the city said at 7 a.m. that its generators were down. PG&E is aware of the problem and is working with the city to resolve the situation but there was no time for restoration, city officials said.

For Solano County residents affected by the outage, PG&E has opened community resource Centers at Mission Church, 6391 Leisure Town Road, in Vacaville, and in the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Parking Lot at 1001 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo.

PG&E officials say these spots will remain open during daylight hours and provide access to restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 people.

Solano County government officials posted an outage information page and encourages residents to be sure they are signed up to receive messages from Alert Solano.

In Fairfield, one of the city's water treatment plants experienced an issue as a result of the power shutoff. While the Public Works Department works to resolve the issue, the city says there is still water flow to all areas of the city and the water is safe to drink.

"We are simply asking people to conserve by not using water for landscape irrigation during the outage," city officials said.

Fairfield's police and fire departments have additional staffing and are continually monitoring conditions, city officials said.

The biggest areas in the city of Fairfield experiencing power loss are on the east side of town and in the Cordelia area.

The Solano County Office of Education said its facilities and programs will continue to operate to the extent possible during the outage. SCOE says it has prepared contingency plans for food, phones, instruction, and limited generator power.

"However, parents should consider sending students to school with breakfast and lunch items that do not require refrigeration or heat, as our menu options may be limited," said Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson.

"We are planning to keep Golden Hills Community School and TC McDaniel Early Learning Center in Fairfield, as well as Irene Larsen Center in Vacaville, open during PSPS events. Solano County Office of Education programs operating on school district campuses will also remain open unless parents are notified of district or site closures.

"If a power outage does occur, our traditional “land-line” phones will not be working. However, parents can call (707) 718-5856 during this potential power outage, and we will facilitate calls and information through this number."

The city of Fairfield warned there could be additional power shut-downs at noon Wednesday.

PG&E said it made the decision to turn off power based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather including potential fire risk. PG&E anticipates the weather event, which includes a red flag warning for the North Bay and East Bay, will last through midday Thursday.

Other counties impacted by the first phase early Wednesday morning included: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Marin, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Trinity and Yuba counties.

The second phase, according to PG&E, will start around noon Wednesday and will impact another 234,000 customers in Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, Alpine, Mariposa and San Joaquin counties.

"A third phase is being considered for the southernmost portions of PG&E’s service area, impacting approximately 42,000 customers," said PG&E Spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.

Peak winds forecasted from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning and reaching 60 to 70 mph at higher elevations.

"The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event," said Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations.

"We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire," Lewis said.

Patch will update this post as more information is gathered; please refresh the page for the latest.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.