Detwiler PG&E Information

PG&E update on the Detwiler Fire power situation:

PG&E update late on 7/25/2017

A few updates today from PG&E; lots of progress today on our customer count.

SAFETY

First and foremost, we are in County to make sure that first responders are safe and can focus on fighting the fire. We also want our customers to be safe, and that’s why we’re working to access the impact on our lines and restore their electric service safely and as quickly as possible. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the first responders, our customers, our crews, and the general public.

Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s 24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.

REPOPULATION SAFETY SUPPORT IN AREAS DAMAGED BY FIRE

PG&E is working to restore electric service safely and as quickly as possible. As power is restored and communities are repopulated we want customers to know we are here to help. We have additional employees in areas damaged by fire to respond and support repopulation.

Please utilize the following tips to keep you and your family safe when returning home:
· If there are electrical wires on the ground stay clear and immediately contact PG&E.
· If the electricity is off, make sure all appliances are off. If there is no damage to the building and the meter you may turn on the circuit breaker.
· Look at the electric meter. If there is any visible damage DO NOT attempt to turn the breaker on.
· Drive slowly. Watch for emergency and utility vehicles in the area.
· Ensure generators are installed safely by a qualified professional and notify PG&E. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid injuring someone or damaging your generator or appliances. Never plug a generator directly into any electric outlets.

READINESS

We continue to gain access to additional areas with the permission of CalFire to safely begin assessing our infrastructure and equipment for damage, and repair or replacement.

FIRE IMPACTS

Currently, there are approximately 180 customers who are without power due to the fire. We still have some customers out of service in areas where there is still too much fire activity for us to access. This includes areas near Bear Valley, along Highway 140, Catheys Valley and Hornitos Road.

We also have crews along Old Highway from Highway 49 to White Rock Road, including Yaqui Road, Heritage Lane, Live Oak Road and Guadalupe Road, east of Coulterville, near Greeley Hill and along Schilling, Dogtown and Holtzel Roads.

Once it is safe for us to access those areas, we will have a better idea of the damage that has occurred and how long repairs will take.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We understand that many of our customers are being impacted by the fire, and we are here to help. We are suspending customer account activities, including shutting off power due to non-payment, or issuing disconnect warning notifications due to non-payment, in the communities affected by the fire.

Customer can sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information. If customers don’t see their outage listed on our outage maps, they can report outages at PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002.

PG&E update late on 7/24/2017

SAFETY

First and foremost, we are in Mariposa County to make sure that first responders are safe and can focus on fighting the fire. We also want our customers to be safe, and that’s why we’re working to access the impact on our lines and restore their electric service safely and as quickly as possible. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the first responders, our customers, our crews, and the general public.

Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s 24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.

REPOPULATION SAFETY SUPPORT IN AREAS DAMAGED BY FIRE

PG&E is working to restore electric service safely and as quickly as possible. As power is restored and communities are repopulated we want customers to know we are here to help. We have additional employees in areas damaged by fire to respond and support repopulation.

Please utilize the following tips to keep you and your family safe when returning home:
· If there are electrical wires on the ground stay clear and immediately contact PG&E.
· If the electricity is off, make sure all appliances are off. If there is no damage to the building and the meter you may turn on the circuit breaker.
· Look at the electric meter. If there is any visible damage DO NOT attempt to turn the breaker on.
· Drive slowly. Watch for emergency and utility vehicles in the area.
· Ensure generators are installed safely by a qualified professional and notify PG&E. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid injuring someone or damaging your generator or appliances. Never plug a generator directly into any electric outlets.

READINESS

PG&E has activated its Incident Command System. We are now staged adjacent to the Mariposa Airport. We are aware that CAL FIRE has moved its incident command from the Mariposa Fairgrounds to the Merced County Fairgrounds, and we have an incident support team at both locations supporting CAL FIRE. We have about 296 personnel and 207 contractors dedicated at this time to fire response and safety. We expect this number to grow.

Today, we have been given permission to safely access some areas and begin assessing our infrastructure and equipment for damage, and repair or replacement.

FIRE IMPACTS

Currently, there are approximately 1,724 customers who are without power due to the fire. Communities affected are: Dog Town, Mount Boulion, Mid Pines, Jersey Dale and portions of Greeley Hill, Hornitos, Bear Valley, and Cathey’s Valley. This is a very active fire, and we will restore power to these customers when it is safe to do so.

We’ve completed assessments on 2,771 locations. Assessments are expected to be complete by Sunday evening. So far we’ve repaired or replaced 23 of the 312 power poles (36 transmission and 276 distribution poles) damaged by the fire. We are anticipating and expecting additional damage to our infrastructure that we have yet to identify. The two transmission power lines that were impacted by the fire Tuesday night have been restored.

We also are working between the Bear Valley Substation and the Mariposa Substation along the Highway 49 corridor, and along Bear Valley Road to Hunter Valley Road. We identified 76 poles that will have to be replaced just in the Hunter’s Valley Road area. We expect to have that work completed and power restored to that area by Sunday, July 23. We have staged 22 MW of mobile generation in the area in case there is additional damage to transmission lines from the fire.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We understand that many of our customers are being impacted by the fire, and we are here to help. We are suspending customer account activities, including shutting off power due to non-payment, or issuing disconnect warning notifications due to non-payment, in the communities affected by the fire.

Customer can sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information. If customers don’t see their outage listed on our outage maps, they can report outages at PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002.

PG&E update late on 7/22/2017

PG&E update on 7/22/2017

We continue to work closely with CalFire and law enforcement on the fire.

We have 258 PG&E employees and 202 contractors at our base camp in Mariposa, and other employees are providing support from offices throughout our service territory.

As of now we have 2,580 customers out of power due to fire related damage. Since the fire started, we’ve had approximately 11,000 customers lose power.

We began restoration on Monday night by routing power around damaged circuits, and we are continuing that process going forward whenever its necessary.

On Wednesday, Cal Fire was able to clear limited access for us to safely begin assessments of fire damage in a few areas where the fire is mostly out.

Today we have 16 assessment teams working. So far we’ve identified 36 transmission poles and more than 200 distribution poles that will need to be replaced. We are anticipating and expecting additional damage to our infrastructure that we have yet to identify.

We have begun repairs in areas where the fire is no longer burning contingent on Cal Fire approval.

Area residents will understand the unique challenges we will face as we work to repair fire damage. The terrain is steep, and in many areas, inaccessible to normal equipment. The fire damage is scattered, one pole here, then a quarter mile to a line of poles that need to be replaced. Stumps may still be smoldering underground. All of that means we need to maintain a safe and deliberate pace as we work to repair the damage.

The communities of Hornitos, Bear Valley, Mount Boulion, Mid Pines, Jersey Dale and portions of Greeley Hill and Dog Town are still affected by fire-related outages.

We have restored power in downtown Mariposa, all the way to Ponderosa Basin. We’re working to restore power in Catheys Valley by using mobile generators. Our goal is to reenergize customers at a safe and deliberate pace so that when it is safe to reenter these areas, you will have power in your homes.

We are also working between the Bear Valley Substation to the Mariposa Substation along the Highway 49 corridor, and along Bear Valley Road to Hunter Valley Road. We have identified 76 poles that will have to be replaced just in the Hunter’s Valley Road area. We expect to have that work completed and power restored to that area by Sunday

Finally, we have staged 22 MW of mobile generation in the area in case there is additional damage to transmission lines from the fire.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We understand that many of our customers are being impacted by the fire, and we are here to help. We are suspending customer account activities, including shutting off power due to non-payment, or issuing disconnect warning notifications due to non-payment, in the communities affected by the fire.

Customer can sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information. If customers don’t see their outage listed on our outage maps, they can report outages at PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002.

PG&E Update on posted on 7/20/2017.

SAFETY

First and foremost, we are in Mariposa County to make sure that first responders are safe and can focus on fighting the fire. We also want our customers to be safe, and that’s why we’re working to access the impact on our lines and restore their electric service safely and as quickly as possible. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the first responders, our customers, our crews, and the general public.

Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s 24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.

READINESS

PG&E has activated its Incident Command System. We are now staged adjacent to the Mariposa Airport. We are aware that CAL FIRE has moved its incident command from the Mariposa Fairgrounds to the Merced County Fairgrounds, and we have an incident support team at both locations supporting CAL FIRE. We have about 130 personnel and 81 contractors dedicated at this time to fire response and safety. We expect this number to grow.

Today, we have been given permission to safely access some areas and begin assessing our infrastructure and equipment for damage, and repair or replacement.

FIRE IMPACTS

Currently, there are approximately 3,000 customers who are without power due to the fire. Communities affected are: Hornitos, Catheys Valley, Bear Valley, Mount Boulion, Mid Pines, Jersey Dale and portions of Greeley Hill and Dog Town. This is a very active fire, and we will restore power to these customers when it is safe to do so.

Cal Fire was able to clear access for us to safely continue assessments of fire damage. We had five assessment teams working; we will be bringing more resources tomorrow. So far we’ve identified 36 transmission poles and more than 200 distribution poles that will need to be replaced. We are anticipating and expecting additional damage to our infrastructure that we have yet to identify. The two transmission power lines that were impacted by the fire last night have been restored.

We also are working between the Bear Valley Substation and the Mariposa Substation along the Highway 49 corridor, and along Bear Valley Road to Hunter Valley Road. We identified 76 poles that will have to be replaced just in the Hunter’s Valley Road area. We expect to have that work completed and power restored to that area by Sunday, July 23. We have staged 22 MW of mobile generation in the area in case there is additional damage to transmission lines from the fire.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We understand that many of our customers are being impacted by the fire, and we are here to help. We are suspending customer account activities, including shutting off power due to non-payment, or issuing disconnect warning notifications due to non-payment, in the communities affected by the fire.

Customer can sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information. If customers don’t see their outage listed on our outage maps, they can report outages at PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002.

Information from PG&E posted on 7/19/2017

SAFETY

Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s 24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.

READINESS

PG&E has activated its Incident Command System. We are staged – for now – at the Mariposa Fairgrounds. We are aware that CAL FIRE has moved its incident command from the Mariposa Fairgrounds to the Merced County Fairgrounds, and we have an incident support team at both locations supporting CAL FIRE. We have about 100 personnel dedicated at this time to fire response and safety. We expect this number to grow.

Today, we have been given permission to safely access some areas and begin assessing our infrastructure and equipment for damage, and repair or replacement.

FIRE IMPACTS

Currently, there are approximately 7,700 customers who are without power due to the fire. Communities affected are: Mariposa, Mormon Bar, Bootjack, Ponderosa Basin, Hornitos, Catheys Valley, Bear Valley, Mount Boulion, Mid Pines, Jersey Dale and portions of Greeley Hill and Dog Town. This is a very active fire, and we will restore power to these customers when it is safe to do so.

Approximately 100 power poles have been damaged or destroyed by this fire and we expect that number to grow. The two transmission power lines that were impacted by the fire last night have been restored.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Customer can sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information. If customers don’t see their outage listed on our outage maps, they can report outages at PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002.

PG&E’S SYSTEMWIDE ONGOING FIRE PREVENTION EFFORTS

PG&E is taking a number of steps to prevent wildfires as part of its enhanced tree mortality emergency response plan, including:
· Conducting enhanced ground patrols to inspect, and prune or remove dead or dying trees that could fall into lines and spark a fire.
· Providing funding to local Fire Safe Councils for fire fuel reduction, emergency access projects and public education.
· Funding cameras for early fire detection.
· Funding daily fire patrols from 3:30 p.m. until dusk – the time of day when wildfires are most likely to ignite because hot, dry weather is at its peak.

PG&E is joining forces with CAL FIRE to ask for the public’s help to reduce the risk of additional wildfires by safely removing or pruning dead or dying trees from their property.