PG&E Warns 22,000 of Power Shutoffs in Wildfire Risk

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) has notified 22,000 customers across 17 counties and four tribal areas in Northern California of potential power shutoffs due to increased wildfire risk from strong winds and low humidity, effective from Tuesday through Thursday. A red flag warning is in place, with wind gusts expected to reach 50-70 mph, particularly in the North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills. Despite the potential outages, PG&E has assured that no vote tabulation centers will be impacted, and only a few polling places might see disruptions after voting ends on Election Day. PG&E is staging temporary generators at key polling locations and has coordinated with local election officials to ensure minimal impact on the electoral process. The utility has also set up community resource centers to assist affected residents. This proactive measure is part of PG&E's ongoing efforts to prevent wildfires by de-energizing power lines during high-risk conditions.