Saratoga Power Outage: PG&E Starts Safety Shutdown

SARATOGA, CA — The second phase of PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff hit Santa Clara County late Wednesday night. The outages were expected to leave more than 38,000 county residents without power.

Initially scheduled to start around noon, the shutoff was delayed multiple times due to changes to the weather forecast, according to PG&E. The second phase will impact service for about 234,000 customers in the Bay Area and Sierra Foothills, according to PG&E.

The first phase of power outages started around midnight Wednesday in the North Bay.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 2,200 customers immediately around Saratoga had been affected, according to a PG&E online map:

The shutoffs come as strong, dry winds are set to hit the area, creating a fire risk. The outages could last longer than 48 hours, and the agency is recommending that households prepare for the possibility of several days without power.

As of Thursday afternoon, here are the latest updates on what's happening around Saratoga (keep checking throughout the day for the latest):

• All Saratoga Union School District Schools have canceled classes Thursday. More information will be released Thursday afternoon via text, email and at saratogausd.org/alert.
• Any urgent messages to the district office can be sent to communication@saratogausd.org during the shutoff.
• PG&E continues to update its maps at https://www.pge.com/pspsupdates. Please note that this site has been experiencing heavy traffic and may be slow at times. PG&E is also posting information on Twitter: @PGE4Me.
• No road closures reported.