PG&E expands scope of likely blackout as Northern California wildfire danger grows

PG&E Corp. expanded the scope of the public-safety blackout planned for Tuesday night as wildfire dangers grow amid hot, dry weather across much of the Sacramento Valley and elsewhere in Northern California.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said as many as 48,000 homes and businesses in 18 counties could be affected by the “public safety power shutoff,” or PSPS, which could begin Tuesday evening. About 31,000 of the affected customers would be in Butte and Shasta counties.

The utility said the PSPS would likely last through Wednesday afternoon.

Initially, the utility said the blackout would be limited to 39,000 homes and businesses and limited to 16 counties. Napa and Colusa counties have been added to the list.

PG&E’s alert came as the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning across much of Northern California. Forecasters said humidity would drop into the single digits and winds could hit 35 mph, setting the stage for wildfire ignition and growth.

California’s largest utility, PG&E is already under investigation in connection with the Dixie Fire, the second largest in the state’s history. The fire, which destroyed the downtown of tiny Greenville in Plumas County, grew overnight to 604,511 acres and was 31% contained.

PG&E is also being investigated over last year’s Zogg Fire, which killed four people in Shasta County, and the 2019 Kincade Fire, which prompted massive evacuations in Sonoma County. It spent 18 months in bankruptcy following a string of mega-fires, capped by the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County.

In all those cases, investigators believe PG&E’s electrical equipment made contact with tree limbs or other vegetation, sparking the fires.

Besides Butte and Shasta, customers in the following counties could be affected by the latest public safety blackout: Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba.