{"id":274305,"date":"2026-08-05T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=274305"},"modified":"2026-08-05T12:31:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:31:11","slug":"california-wildfire-risk-rising-pge-prepare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/california-wildfire-risk-rising-pge-prepare\/","title":{"rendered":"California Wildfire Risk are Rising \u2013 PG&E\u2019s Guide to Prepare Early"},"content":{"rendered":"

As California moves into its most dangerous wildfire months, Northern California is expected to face above-normal wildfire risk through September, with hot, dry winds and parched vegetation raising concerns across much of PG&E<\/a>\u2019s service territory.<\/p>\n

At a July 8 media briefing at PG&E\u2019s Emergency Operations Center hosted by American Community Media<\/a>, company officials said more than half of the utility\u2019s 70,000-square-mile service area is located in high fire-risk zones, leaving millions of customers vulnerable as peak fire conditions arrive later this summer.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWildfire risk never really goes away, but there definitely is a peak season, and we\u2019re just getting into that peak season now,\u201d said Scott Strenfel, PG&E\u2019s senior director of meteorology and fire science. \u201cAfter a hot and dry summer, usually our live fuels and dead fuel moisture values \u2014 basically surface vegetation \u2014 is at its driest state and then we start to get the potential for wind events.\u201d<\/p>\n

CAL FIRE data shows that 3,215 wildfires have burned 85,665 acres statewide as of July 9. While the number of fires is below the five-year average of 4,352, the acreage burned is above the five-year average of 81,874.<\/p>\n

The National Interagency Fire Center\u2019s latest four-month outlook, issued July 1, projects \u201cabove normal significant fire potential\u201d across Northern California from July through September.<\/p>\n

Weather conditions later in the year could also complicate emergency planning. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Climate Prediction Center projects an 81% chance of a \u201cvery strong\u201d El Ni\u00f1o pattern from October to December, which could increase the risk of heat waves, flash floods and landslides, especially across central and southern California.<\/p>\n

Strenfel said El Ni\u00f1o can sometimes bring increased winter precipitation and reduce dry vegetation, but warned that it is not a certainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not guaranteed,\u201d he said, noting that previous strong El Ni\u00f1o years have still brought near-average rainfall.<\/p>\n

PG&E Expands Wildfire Prevention<\/h3>\n

Since PG&E launched its first Public Safety Power Shutoff program in 2019, the company has carried out roughly 36 shutoffs to reduce wildfire ignition risk during dangerous weather conditions.<\/p>\n

Public Safety Power Shutoffs, known as PSPS events, are used as a last resort when severe wind, dry vegetation and overhead power lines create high fire danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not easy decisions, but they have to be made to protect the communities that we serve,\u201d Strenfel said. \u201cWe want to put lines underground, we want to harden infrastructure, we want to remove vegetation, we want to do other things that reduce the risk, but let\u2019s say we have overhead lines and there\u2019s a high wind event coming, then the last resort is a public safety power shutoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Smith, PG&E\u2019s senior manager of customer emergency planning and operations, said the company has expanded its wildfire safety investments in recent years, especially across the 60% to 70% of California\u2019s wooded territory that falls within PG&E\u2019s service area.<\/p>\n

In 2021, PG&E piloted enhanced power line safety settings designed to shut off power to select circuits within one-tenth of a second if a tree branch, animal or other object contacts a line. The goal is to reduce the chance that a spark reaches dry vegetation.<\/p>\n

The program was expanded the following year to all circuits in high fire-threat districts and now protects more than 47,000 miles of powerlines statewide.<\/p>\n

PG&E also inspects more than 100,000 miles of overhead powerlines each year, leading to the pruning or removal of more than 1 million trees that could cause a wildfire or outage. The company has also installed more than 1,600 weather stations and more than 700 wildfire detection cameras statewide.<\/p>\n

Support for Vulnerable Customers<\/h3>\n

Smith said the scale of wildfire vulnerability is significant. Of PG&E\u2019s 5.8 million customers, the utility estimates that more than 80% have some form of access and functional need. That includes older adults, people with disabilities, households with young children, people with limited English proficiency and residents who rely on public transportation.<\/p>\n

All customers can sign up for outage alerts by phone or email. Customers enrolled in the Medical Baseline Program, which requires a doctor\u2019s certification, may receive additional alerts, discounted electricity rates, backup power assistance and a monthly credit for operating medical equipment such as oxygen machines or sleep apnea monitors.<\/p>\n

Customers who do not qualify for Medical Baseline may still self-identify as vulnerable to receive extra shutoff notice and support for rebates, discounts and programs such as portable battery distribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite program,\u201d said Smith, \u201cis the Backup Power Transfer Meter Program, where we\u2019ll come in and install a specialized meter that will allow you to plug a generator right into the meter itself, and then you can run everything in your house normally if the generator is big enough without having to run extension cords.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith also warned residents to use generators safely. He said the danger is not the generator itself, but improper use or installation, including \u201cbackfeed,\u201d which can send power back into the grid and endanger line workers during outages.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year we hear of a very tragic story of someone running a generator inside a house and then dying of carbon monoxide exposure,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

He urged residents never to run generators indoors and to notify PG&E if they own one, so they can receive information about rebates and transfer meter assistance before outages occur.<\/p>\n

211 Offers Emergency Planning Help<\/h3>\n

During PSPS outages, PG&E partners with California\u2019s 211 network to connect residents with emergency planning support, transportation, hotel accommodations, food assistance and backup power resources.<\/p>\n

Alana Hitchcock, executive director of 211 California, described the service as \u201ca live assistance hotline, so think 911, but for every other type of help people need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who work with us and do that safety planning, they have fewer crises during the event,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re experiencing housing insecurity, if you\u2019re struggling to feed your family, 211 is there for you, call 211.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 211 helpline is available 24\/7, offers multilingual assistance and does not require callers seeking emergency planning help to disclose immigration status.<\/p>\n

Hitchcock said federal budget cuts, including the reconciliation bill HR.1, have already affected 211\u2019s nonprofit network \u201cas local governments are having to change their funding to try to backfill those cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, demand for help has grown. Hitchcock said the network saw \u201cup to a 400% increase in food security calls last November during the government shutdown and the SNAP crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preparing Before the Fire<\/h3>\n

With Northern California facing elevated wildfire risk through September, officials emphasized that residents should prepare before an emergency begins.<\/p>\n

That includes signing up for outage alerts, creating a household emergency plan, preparing backup power if medically necessary and calling 211 for local support before a crisis.<\/p>\n

For Strenfel, the message was simple: even when weather patterns remain uncertain, preparation cannot wait.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what the situation looks like,\u201d he said, \u201cwe\u2019re going to be prepared to take action.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As California moves into its most dangerous wildfire months, Northern California is expected to face above-normal wildfire risk through September, with hot, dry winds and parched vegetation raising concerns across much of PG&E\u2019s service territory. At a July 8 media briefing at PG&E\u2019s Emergency Operations Center hosted by American Community Media, company officials said more…<\/p>\n

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