15 counties affected
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Power was shut off in wind-prone parts of Northern California on Thursday to prevent sparking wires from igniting new wildfires during a new round of gusty, dry weather.
Pacific Gas & Electric’s online map of public safety power shutoffs showed large clusters of outages in the northern Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra Nevada foothills and a few elsewhere.
The utility had said it would begin shutoffs at 8 p.m. Wednesday and through the evening in targeted areas of 15 counties, affecting about 37,000 customers. Shutoffs were expected to last into Friday.
The National Weather Service issued warnings Wednesday night into Friday, predicting low humidity and winds up to 40 mph at times in the mountains, valleys and coastal areas of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento region and the Sierra.
PG&E cut power to 41,000 customers during similar conditions last week. No major new fires were reported.
The new round of shutoffs exasperated some people.
“I’m not the whining type but there’s nothing else to do but complain,” said Bill Fletcher as he filled up a gas can to fuel a generator for his east Napa County home.
More 8,600 wildfires have scorched thousands of square miles in California this year. Most have been fully or significantly contained.
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