PG&E crews trapped by mudslides near Cazadero

Several Pacific Gas & Electric Co. crews were forced to sleep in their trucks Tuesday night when they were trapped near Cazadero by mudslides following historic rainfall that pummeled Sonoma County.

The squad was stuck between two slides in ?18600 block of Fort Ross Road, according to California Highway Patrol logs.

PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said 18 people working for the utility company, including employees and contractors, were dispatched to the area Tuesday afternoon to restore power to customers in Cazadero.

After discovering the slides, the crews slept in their vehicles, ?Contreras said.

“They weren’t in any danger,” she said. “They’re just shut out. ... I wouldn’t even call it trapped.”

The crews had access to food, water, blankets and first aid kits, and the utility remained in contact with them, Contreras said. When they woke up Wednesday, the crews went back to work to restore electricity to about ?1,000 Cazadero customers who remained without power ?Wednesday afternoon.

The road remained closed Wednesday and the crews were unable to drive out of the area. To extract the workers, PG&E sent a helicopter to airlift them to the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

“We want to get them home to their families tonight,” she said.

Staff Writer Mary Callahan contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @wsreports.