Weather
Power Restored To East Bay In PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff
PG&E said it found 80 instances of downed power lines or vegetation coming into contact with electrical lines that could've ignited fires.
By Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — PG&E said Wednesday it has restored power to virtually all customers in Contra Costa County and elsewhere who were affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff that began Sunday morning due to high winds and low humidity.
Roughly 345,000 customers in parts of 34 counties and 17 tribal communities were affected by the shutoff, including customers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties.
Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
PG&E began restoring power for all of its customers on Tuesday afternoon following an "all clear" weather notice.
"Amid historic weather conditions and the strongest winds of the wildfire season so far, we aimed to minimize the scope and length of the event," said Michael Lewis, PG&E's interim president. "Our most important responsibility has been to keep customers and communities safe."
Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The utility inspected more than 17,000 miles of electrical lines between Monday and Wednesday to ensure its equipment did not spark or contribute to the development of a wildfire.
PG&E said its engineers found nearly 80 instances of downed power lines or vegetation coming in contact with electrical lines due to the winds that could have ignited a fire. Residents can find updated information on PG&E's power shutoffs at pge.com/pspsupdates.
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