PG&E shuts off power to parts of Mariposa Co., part of statewide wildfire plan affecting 800,000 customers
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Pacific Gas and Electric Company has shut down power to thousands of customers in Mariposa County.
The outage is expected to impact about 1,800 customers in the county.
The power outage is a part of a statewide plan by the company affecting 800,000 customers across California, based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather including potential fire risk.
RELATED: Briceburg Fire nearly doubles overnight, 3,600 acres burned, PG&E outages go into effect
PG&E announced earlier on Wednesday there would be a delay in phase 2 of its Public Safety Power Shutoff event due to changes in the weather forecast.
Here is a list of the areas that are being affected by the power outage:
- Greeley Hill
- Lake Don Pedro Subdivision area
- Granite Springs Rd Area
- Lake Mc Clure
- Merced Falls Rd Area
- Lake Mc Swain
The affected areas are shown in PINK on the map. Also, the map shows the current Briceburg Fire evacuations and advisories.
You can enter your address here to check if PG&E is planning to cut off power in your area.
Where to go for help
PG&E has opened a Community Resource Center in Coulterville. It says the center will remain open during daylight hours only and will have restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging, and air-conditioned seating.
The center is located at 10293 Ferry Road, Coulterville, CA 95311.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office is staffing its two substations in Greeley Hill and LaGrange around the clock right now.
People whose phones may not be working during the outage can go there if necessary so deputies or volunteers can radio for help.
Video: Residents prepare for the outage
People in Mariposa County rushed to fill up their gas tanks and gas cans so they can run generators while the power is out.
Employees at stores said they've had many customers stopping in for supplies, including candles, propane, water, and food.
Residents said they're thankful for the notice they received, but they hoped PG&E can come up with a better solution in the future.
"We don't want to be in a situation like the Paradise Fires last year, so that I'm appreciative of, but the other side of this is that it's kind of a Band-Aid," said Sarah Medlin.
Video: PG&E says it may take a while to restore power
No one knows how long they'll be without power.
Mariposa County Supervisor Merlin Jones says he's received an influx of calls from frustrated residents.
PG&E officials say they want to turn off the power lines before severe winds hit and though they hope to have the power back on soon, inspecting power lines could take a while because they have to go through thousands of miles of lines.
In Northern California, PG&E began its second phase of the Public Safety Power Shutoff before 11 p.m. Wednesday.
The company provided a statement Wednesday night saying that the second phase had begun in the Sierra Foothills but that the delay was because they were "monitoring forecasts" to see if the weather does materialize for the Bay Area.
The power outage is currently affecting more than 400,000 customers and has caused major traffic delays across the Bay Area.
RELATED: 2nd round of PG&E outages starts in Northern California
PG&E's website has crashed several times throughout the day as a result of customers trying to see what areas are being affected by the power outages. For the latest list of cities and counties impacted by the outages click here.
