Latest news with #powerShutoff
CBS News
12 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Part of Northern California under red flag warning
A red flag warning is now in effect for part of Northern California, the National Weather Service said. Winds between 10 to 20 mph, and gusts of up to 30 to 40 mph are contributing to the fire weather conditions, along with low relative humidity, the NWS said. The warning stretches from Redding to Modesto, and the NWS said the areas under the highest threat are the Sacramento Valley along and west of the Interstate 5 corridor, the adjacent coastal range and the northern San Joaquin Valley. A Red Flag Warning goes into effect today at 11am for areas below 3000 ft and continues through 9am Sunday. Expect gusty north winds and low relative humidities. Practice fire weather safety! #CAwx — NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) June 21, 2025 According to the NWS, fires could grow rapidly due to the weather conditions. The red flag warning will be in effect until 9 a.m. Sunday. Due to fire risk, PG&E has issued power shutoff warnings for Saturday in several counties, including San Joaquin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Tehama and Sutter counties. PG&E has a power shutoff warning in effect for Sunday as well.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PRC workshop to explain wildfire power shutoff strategies
This is the area in the East Mountains near Albuquerque where PNM warned in March it would shut off power preemptively to prevent wildfires. (It ended up not doing so.) The Public Regulation Commission is hosting a workshop Thursday with state power utilities to explain the protocol for "public safety power shutoffs." (Map courtesy PNM) As New Mexico electrical companies increasingly consider using proactive power shutoffs as a way to prevent wildfires, the state's utility regulator announced a series of workshops aimed at helping the public better understand why they're necessary and what to expect if they occur. PNM, the state's biggest electrical provider, did its first-ever 'public safety power shutoff' in Las Vegas on April 17, cutting off power to about 2,300 customers amid high winds and dry conditions. Officials said at the time that they'd do so 'only as a last resort to protect lives and property from the threat of wildfire.' On May 8, the PRC is hosting a workshop in Santa Fe with PNM and two of the state's other investor-owned utilities, El Paso Electric Company and Southwestern Public Service Company, to 'present an overview of Public Safety Power Shutoff strategies, customer notification processes, and mitigation planning expenditures,' according to a news release. Also slated to attend are officials from the state energy department, who will provide a breakdown of what state agencies can do to mitigate the threat of wildfire as well as 'lessons learned' in the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in 2022 and the South Fork Fire in 2024. Attendees will also receive a presentation on legislative actions related to wildfire risk during the most recent session, such as a memorial requesting the creation of a wildfire study group. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a bill creating funds for wildfire suppression. In June 2022, as the two biggest wildfires in New Mexico history were burning, the PRC opened a formal inquiry to 'evaluate vegetation management plans and other wildfire protection practices for the purpose of reviewing the assumptions, methods, and standards underpinning these plans, to identify best practices, and to obtain recommendations for best practices in wildfire management.' The forthcoming workshops stem from that case, according to a news release. Also in summer 2022, the McBride Fire in Ruidoso caused the deaths of an elderly couple and destroyed several hundred structures. Investigators later determined the cause to be a tree falling onto an electrical line PNM maintained. Lawyers on behalf of fire victims have sued PNM, alleging it was negligent, though PNM denies any liability. Earlier this year, the Mogote Hill Fire near Wagon Mound burned 21,000 acres. It was also caused by an electrical utility, according to state officials. Read more here about the workshop. The other three are scheduled for July 17, Sept. 15 and Oct. 23.
