- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Cal Fire increases staffing for red flag warning, PG&E issues update on possible power shutoff
The National Weather Service issued the red flag warning for Lake, Colusa, Napa, Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Friday.
Overnight Wednesday and into early Thursday, winds are expected to reach 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts of between 30 and 40 miles per hour across the highest peaks, forecasters said. Those gusty winds – combined with already critically low relative humidity and very dry fuels will create critical fire weather conditions.
The forecast calls for winds to decrease on Friday morning but very dry conditions will continue.
The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit said that it has bolstered its firefighting resources in response to the red flag event.
The additional resources Cal Fire has at the ready includes two helicopters, round-the-clock staffing of all fire crews and bulldozers, and personnel to fulfill emergency command center and related functions in case a major fire should occur.
Because of the potential for high winds and fire danger, PG&E is notifying 63,000 customers in eight counties – including Lake – that power may be cut beginning on Thursday.
The company said the public safety power shutoff could impact areas of Lake County including Clearlake Oaks, Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville and Middletown.
Other areas of Northern California that are being notified of the potential shutoff include:
• Butte County (including Berry Creek, Chico, Forest Ranch, Magalia, Oroville, Paradise);
• Napa County (including Angwin, Pope Valley, St. Helena);
• Nevada County (including Grass Valley, Nevada City, North San Juan);
• Placer County (including Colfax, Foresthill, Alta);
• Plumas County (including La Porte);
• Sierra County (including Downieville, Sierra City);
• Yuba County (including Brownsville, Dobbins, Camptonville).
Customers can learn whether their home or business could be impacted by visiting www.pge.com/wildfiresafety .
This story has been updated to remove Sonoma County and update the number of anticipated customers, based on new information from PG&E.
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