Pacific Power sends shutoff notices to customers in six counties over Friday, Saturday fire danger

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Pacific Power has issued potential shutoff notices to customers in six Oregon counties south and west of Portland because of predicted gusty east winds Friday and Saturday contributing to extreme wildfire conditions.

Pacific Power said Wednesday that it has notified about 12,000 customers in Linn, Douglas, Lincoln, Tillamook, Marion and Polk counties of a potential public safety power shutoff from early Friday through Saturday. Communities impacted could include Stayton through the Santiam Canyon, Lebanon, Sweet Home, Lincoln City and Glide along the Umpqua Highway.

The utility’s meteorology manager, Steve Vanderburg, said their advanced weather modeling indicates a potential for dangerous fire weather conditions.

Portland General Electric officials have said they also are monitoring conditions.

Fire weather watches and red flag warnings have been forecast for much of western Oregon and southwest Washington starting Friday.

Forecasters have said the concern isn’t on the same level as the Oregon 2020 Labor Day fires east wind event, but they say active wildfires in the state could spread quickly as well as any new blazes sparked at that time.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources in Washington state said Wednesday that an east wind event is also expected over the weekend that, paired with already-critical fire weather conditions, could result in severe wildfire activity.

“West of the Cascades, this will likely be the highest fire danger of the season as hot, dry winds leave normally damp fuels such as grass & moss ready to burn and primed for rapid spread,” state DNR officials said on Twitter.

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Pacific Power issues Public Safety Power Shutoff notice to customers in several Oregon counties

Weather forecast for Friday and Saturday shows high, gusty easterly winds during extreme wildfire conditions

PORTLAND, Ore. – September 7, 2022 — Pacific Power notified approximately 12,000 customers in Linn, Douglas, Lincoln, Tillamook, Marion and Polk counties of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff due to forecast high, gusty easterly winds during extreme wildfire conditions from early Friday morning through Saturday. 

“Our advanced weather modeling is indicating a potential for dangerous fire weather conditions,” said Steve Vanderburg, meteorology manager. “We’re gaining an understanding of the impacts to our system this specific weather event could bring, and have issued Public Safety Power Shutoff notices to several Pacific Power communities.”

Sections of the following communities could experience a Public Safety Power Shutoff: 

• Stayton east through the Santiam Canyon 
• Lebanon 
• Sweet Home
• Lincoln City
• Glide east along Umpqua Highway 

A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a proactive effort to reduce wildfire risk during hazardous fire weather conditions, including extremely low humidity, dry vegetation, elevated levels on key weather indexes and sustained winds and gusts. Current forecasts indicate conditions for a Public Safety Power Shutoff could be met around 12:00 a.m. Friday morning. The power shutoff could last late into Saturday evening. 

Customers have been notified of the potential power shutoff through phone calls, email and text messages. Customers will continue to receive updates through ongoing communications. A map of potentially affected areas is available at www.pacificpower.net/psps.

Temporary community resource centers are being set up in affected communities. Locations and a full list of amenities will be shared when that information is available.

For all non-emergency questions about the Public Safety Power Shutoff, customers and the public should call Pacific Power at 1-888-221-7070. 

Pacific Power crews will actively patrol and remove debris from lines and make repairs if needed. Once weather conditions have subsided and line inspections are complete, Pacific Power will restore service. 

Visit pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety for additional information on Public Safety Power Shutoffs, outage preparedness and wildfire safety.