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PG&E cutting power amid red flag wildfire conditions

  • The area around Mt. Diablo is under a red flag fire warning this weekend amid dry conditions and gusty winds. Photo: Kepka, Mike / The Chronicle 2008

    The area around Mt. Diablo is under a red flag fire warning this weekend amid dry conditions and gusty winds.

    The area around Mt. Diablo is under a red flag fire warning this weekend amid dry conditions and gusty winds.

    Photo: Kepka, Mike / The Chronicle 2008

Photo: Kepka, Mike / The Chronicle 2008

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The area around Mt. Diablo is under a red flag fire warning this weekend amid dry conditions and gusty winds.

The area around Mt. Diablo is under a red flag fire warning this weekend amid dry conditions and gusty winds.

Photo: Kepka, Mike / The Chronicle 2008

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. made the unprecedented decision to preemptively shut off power in parts of the Bay Area and Sierra foothills on Sunday night in anticipation of gusty winds, bone-dry weather and other dangerous fire conditions.

Only people living in extreme-risk fire areas — a total of roughly 87,000 customers in 12 counties — were to be effected. The counties that were to experience precautionary power outages included Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Butte, Yuba, Plumas, Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras.

Areas across Northern California were to be impacted, from remote towns, to cities like Santa Rosa, Napa, Oroville and Auburn, to popular tourist getaways such as Nevada City, Calistoga and Healdsburg.

Communities in the Sierra foothills were to have their power turned off as early as 5 p.m. Scheduled shutoffs were then to roll through the North Bay later in the evening, when the National Weather Service had forecast strong winds and low humidity at higher elevations.

Many factors played into the decision to turn off the power, including on-the-ground reports from field workers.

The goal is to limit the fire risk posed by live utility lines that can fall in a windstorm. Damaged electrical equipment has sparked some of the most destructive fires in California history, including many that swept through the Wine Country last year.

“We know our customers rely on electric service, and we would only consider turning off power in the interest of safety and as a last resort during extreme weather conditions,” said PG&E spokeswoman Megan McFarland. “Once the conditions are safe, our crews (will) work to restore power as quickly as possible.”

In the past, PG&E has resisted preemptively turning off power, saying it poses its own risks and could leave police, firefighters and hospitals with no electricity during an emergency.

After last year’s devastating fires, though, PG&E developed protocols detailing when and how to shut off power in the face of potentially life-threatening conditions. The utility has prepared for, but never executed, such an action.

As an added precaution, PG&E temporarily disabled devices called reclosers in the 12 high-risk counties. Reclosers automatically try to restart failed power lines using a pulse of electricity. While the devices can prevent or shorten blackouts, they have been implicated in past wildfires.

PG&E contacted residents who would be impacted. The utility’s goal was to send customers alerts 48 hours, 24 hours and just prior to shutting off power. McFarland asked that people update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts.

Most customers are expected to have power restored by Monday night with some outages potentially lasting into Tuesday. PG&E will provide updates and information through social media, local news, radio and on their website.

Officials in Sonoma County, which was hit particularly hard by last October’s firestorm, said they had geared up for losing electricity this weekend.

“We put the wheels in motion immediately and are working diligently to prepare for any potential PG&E power shutdowns,” James Gore, chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “This would be the first event of its kind in Sonoma County, and we are ready for the challenges it may bring.”

The dangerous fire conditions will run through Monday morning in the North Bay and East Bay hills, said Brian Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service

Winds are forecast to ramp up overnight, blowing from the east and reaching gusts as high as 65 mph in the hills of Sonoma and Napa counties, Garcia said. In the Bay Area, the weather service is also keeping a close eye on conditions in Marin, Contra Costa and parts of Alameda counties.

With most of the north state blanketed by a red flag warning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has increased staffing this weekend, according to the agency.

The California Office of Emergency Services has sent extra fire engines, firefighters and dispatchers to parts of the North Bay and East Bay.

“Reserve engines are all staffed, aircrafts are all staffed, inmate crews are heavily staffed and can respond in moment’s notice,” said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. “Look what happened a year ago. The conditions are ripe right now, and we all need to pay attention and be cognizant.”

Joaquin Palomino is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @JoaquinPalomino

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