Overview
- Arizona Public Service cut electricity to about 6,000 customers starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to reduce wildfire risk in targeted Flagstaff-area communities including Doney Park, Timberline, Fernwood, Cosnino, Mormon Lake, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon and Valle.
- Power returned Wednesday evening after crews inspected lines and cleared hazards, a required step before re-energizing because wind-blown debris or tree branches can spark fires if lines are live.
- APS called the action a surgical public safety power shutoff and coordinated with local officials, opening Flagstaff’s Murdoch Community Center for charging and medication storage and offering ice and water with reimbursement for purchases.
- The utility cited forecast gusts near 60–70 mph and very dry fuels under a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning, while an NWS meteorologist said most spots would see 40–50 mph gusts, highlighting forecast differences that fed the decision-making.
- This was the first activation of APS’s PSPS program since it was adopted in 2024, and state rules now require large utilities to file wildfire mitigation and shutoff plans, a shift driven by dry winters and past power-line fires that could mean more preventive outages when conditions warrant.