PG&E Restores Power to Thousands of Bay Area Customers Following Wildfire Safety Shutoffs

Pacific Gas and Electric Company field crews restored electrical service to thousands of households and businesses across five Bay Area counties on Friday afternoon after improved weather conditions allowed safety patrols to begin inspecting de-energized power lines. The Oakland-based utility originally initiated preventive Public Safety Power Shutoffs starting Wednesday evening for approximately 90,000 customers across twenty-nine California counties to reduce catastrophic wildfire ignition risks during severe offshore wind events. Within the nine-county Bay Area region, the precautionary blackouts impacted 11,318 metered accounts spanning Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties.

Utility emergency operations metrics released Friday afternoon detailed steady restoration progress across local jurisdictions. In Alameda County, line technicians restored electricity to 1,666 of the 4,720 affected customers, while crews in Contra Costa County re-energized 458 of 1,607 impacted accounts near Mount Diablo and the East Bay hills. Across the North Bay, power returned to 323 of 2,915 customers in Napa County, 952 of 2,044 customers in Sonoma County, and all 32 affected accounts in Solano County.

The widespread midweek shutoffs were triggered after the National Weather Service issued a critical Red Flag Warning for the interior North Bay mountains and elevated East Bay ridges that remained in effect until 11:00 a.m. Friday. Forecasters recorded bone-dry relative humidity levels alongside northeast offshore wind gusts reaching up to 60 miles per hour, creating hazardous conditions where windblown tree branches striking live electrical conductors could spark fast-moving brush fires.

County emergency management officials and municipal fire departments noted that once the weather "all-clear" is declared, utility linemen and helicopter crews must visually inspect every mile of distribution wire in daylight before restoring current. Remaining outages in remote canyon and hillside circuits across Napa, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties are expected to last into Saturday, though meteorologists forecast milder temperatures and calmer breezes through the weekend and early next week.

To assist residents still awaiting restoration, PG&E opened temporary Community Resource Centers in affected districts offering public restrooms, mobile device charging stations, complimentary Wi-Fi, bottled water, snacks, and emergency preparedness supplies. Customers can view address-level restoration estimates and resource center hours at pge.com or by calling the utility's 24-hour customer service department at (800) 743-5000.