The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has announced that thousands of electricity customers in Northern California are likely to lose power on Tuesday, as the company takes precautions to prevent fires from sparking in windy conditions.
There are already several wildfires burning in the state, including the Dixie Fire, now the second-largest in the state’s history, which PG&E equipment is suspected of having played a role in starting. Others were started by lightning.
In a lengthy Facebook post, PG&E warned that 36,000 customers could lose electricity due to the precautionary shutoffs:
Forecasted Offshore Dry Winds Mean PG&E Might Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety in Small Portions of 16 Counties on Tuesday Night
PG&E’s Emergency Operations Center is Open and Company Meteorologists and Operations Professionals are Monitoring the Situation
The Majority of Affected Customers Would Be in Butte and Shasta Counties; PG&E Is Sending 48-Hour Notices to Customers Who Might Be Affected
…
We initiate Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) when the weather forecast is for such severe weather that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires.
NBC News added:
Powerful offshore winds are expected to pick up Tuesday night, a potentially devastating event as most of California is experiencing “extreme” or “exceptional” drought. The utility said the shutoffs could last as long as two days for some customers.
The utility began using the proactive measure during a wave of devastating wildfires in recent years, including the deadliest in state history, the Camp Fire of 2018. The company pleaded guilty to unlawfully starting the fire, which left at least 84 people dead, after investigators blamed its transmission lines.
PG&E, which declared bankruptcy in the fire’s aftermath, also pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), currently facing a recall election, has been faulted for failing to keep his promises on fire prevention.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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