PG&E has said it will not shut off power to customers as windy conditions hit parts of Northern and Central California Monday, which downed power lines and fueled a brush fire in Placer County.
“Even though there were going to be some winds, they did not really reach the threshold, particularly of sustained winds that were going to require a public safety power shutoff,” said Jeff Smith, a spokesperson with the utility.
The windy conditions come in advance of a storm system that could bring substantial rain across the state, and snow at higher elevations. The precipitation will likely reduce the chance of fires — and power shut offs — as the wet winter season approaches.
“Rain can help reduce the risk of fire and so we’ll be watching these storms as they come through very closely and see what kind of impact they have on the conditions,” said Smith.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for parts of Inyo County. Winds gusting up to nearly 60 mph brought down a power line that closed Highway 6. The windy conditions fueled a brush fire near Loomis, which caused the evacuation of an industrial area. Firefighters stopped forward progress and lifted all evacuations around 3:30 p.m. Monday.
The storm system could make travel difficult heading into the holiday weekend, especially at higher elevations where snow is expected.
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for the Tahoe area from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Thursday. Eight to 18 inches of snow was possible at lake level with winds gusting as high as 60 mph .
Snow also was forecast across most of central Nevada and as far south as the mountains around Las Vegas.
Snow totals could reach 3 feet by Thanksgiving Day along the Sierra Crest, according to the weather service said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Clarification: This story has been updated to note PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith said there would be no need for a public safety power shutoff, not public safety fire shutoff.
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