Heat wave keeping PG&E, local residents on alert Wednesday
PRUNEDALE, Calif. (KION) California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO), the agency in charge of overseeing the state's entire electrical grid, has issued a Flex Alert for Thursday evening to relieve stress on the power grid, which has been seeing more use because of the heat wave this week.
The Flex Alert will be in effect from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Californians are encouraged to conserve their electricity during this time.
PG&E is also on high alert watching for any potential fire hazards within their infrastructure. On Wednesday, firefighters had to respond to a near fire in Prunedale after power lines hitting tree branches were sparking on Berta Canyon Road.
The resident who called 911 tells KION he was just working in his garage when he smelled smoke and noticed a humming above his house, which he found out were coming from the power lines.
While it did not start a fire, firefighters say it could have been worse.
"When they're arching like that in the trees, there's a high potential for them to actually snap in two and fall to the ground," said Don Harvey, a captain with North Monterey County Fire. "Once they're on the ground, then they can start catching the grass on fire."
This all happened around 1 p.m. on Wednesday when the temperatures were still hot and the winds were steadily breezing. Unfortunately, fire officials say they respond to electrical grid equipment issues all the time, and there is always a risk of fires starting.
"Especially in a highly populated area like that, trying to find access to get into it. And with the winds, it could just really move the fire quite rapidly," said Capt. Harvey.
PG&E has been the center of much attention for fires that have started in California over the last couple years. They have been working to replace aging infrastructure, which is related to fire danger.
"This includes the Central Coast, where we're coming in and installing thicker-coated power lines, replacing wooden poles with metal poles, and in some cases, we're doing undergrounding," said Mayra Tostado, a PG&E spokesperson.
PG&E also says drought forecasts and dry vegetation this summer means residents should prepare for the return of Public Safety Power Shutoffs. You should have backup food, batteries for flash lights and other emergency equipment on hand.
"We're in a very dire state and it's very important that people prepare," said Tostado.
As far as the Flex Alert goes: residents should set their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher if health permits, avoid using major appliances and turn off lights you do not need.
If you see electric wires sparking, just call 911.
"Just call 911. We'll come out, we'll secure the area, we'll get PG&E coming and we'll try to make it as safe as we can," said Capt. Harvey.
PG&E says they are not planning any Public Safety Power Shutoffs this week, so if your power does go out, it may be an actual outage. Just contact PG&E for more information.
