On the same day that PG and E was holding a webinar to explain a new wildfire prevention program, that same program was likely a factor in nearly-identical power outages in Penn Valley and Rough and Ready. The outages occurred on Tuesday, as well as Wednesday. Both initially impacted the same number of customers, or around 21-hundred, and both began at around 8am. And utility spokesman Paul Moreno says they were on the same circuit where they’ve increased the sensitivity, or tension, of the lines…

click to listen to Paul Moreno

The new feature quickly and automatically shuts off electricity, if an object strikes a line, or there is an issue with other equipment. Moreno says it WAS determined what struck a line on Tuesday…

click to listen to Paul Moreno

The cause of Wednesday’s outage had not been determined. But around half of the customers had their lights back on around four hours later, with full restoration scheduled at close to 5pm. These types of shutoffs affect an entire circuit, impacting larger numbers of customers.