Overview
- PG&E began targeted Public Safety Power Shutoffs on Wednesday, July 15, after forecasting high winds, low humidity and hot, dry fuels, and several thousand customers were de-energized while crews patrolled lines.
- The utility put roughly 7,800 customers in small portions of 10 counties on PSPS watch and reported 3,054 Bay Area customers without power as of 8 p.m. July 15 with about 882–1,000 still without power in South Monterey County on July 16.
- PG&E activated its Emergency Operations Center and used AI-assisted weather models, 600 remote cameras and 1,300 weather stations to narrow which circuits to cut.
- PG&E’s Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) can shut circuits quickly when hazards are detected but require full-circuit inspections before crews can re-energize, which can lengthen outages.
- Local residents reported heat and preparation gaps and some limited community resource centers opened for charging, ice and shelter while PG&E says long-term fixes such as undergrounding and energy storage are being pursued to reduce future PSPS reliance.