PG&E restores power to all customers in Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa counties after planned shutdown

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has restored power for all of its customers in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties that had been cut off from electricity by the utility’s first widespread shutoff of the year, but there were still a small number in Lake County awaiting restoration, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.

The preemptive power shutdown began Tuesday evening and was aimed at reducing the risk of PG&E’s equipment sparking wildfires as meteorologists predicted hefty wind gusts and low humidity earlier this week. The conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for extreme fire danger.

PG&E shut off power for 1,800 customers in Sonoma County, 154 in Mendocino County and 6,849 in Napa County.

In Lake County, the utility cut power for 4,760 homes and businesses. Fewer than 100 still had no electricity from the shutdown on Thursday, but PG&E crews were working to restore their power, said PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.

Power restoration was interrupted in Lake County on Wednesday afternoon as the Cache fire broke out, Contreras said. The blaze burned 83 acres and destroyed 56 homes in Clearlake, according to city officials.

The fire has also triggered new power outages in the area not tied to the preemptive shutdown, Contreras said.

PG&E had shut off power in portions of 18 counties across Northern California and the utility had finished restoring electricity in all but four of them by Thursday, Contreras said. In addition to Lake, customers in Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties still had no power.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.