August 9, 2012 - Communities around Lake Almanor do not face the greater threat of power outages like the Plumas County communities of Quincy and the Feather River Canyon are facing from the Chips Fire, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) said today.
The Lake Almanor Basin has two transmission power lines serving it: the Caribou-Westwood line and the Hat Creek-Westwood line. Should the line from Caribou be impacted by the Chips Fire, all customers in the basin will receive power from Hat Creek. No fires are threatening the Hat Creek-Westwood line.
Action PG&E is taking:
- To help ensure the two transmission lines near the Chips Fire remain powered, crews are clearing brush around transmission poles within 5 miles of the Caribou Substation. If the fire threatens beyond that range, crews will continue to clear around poles. PG&E is prepared to treat poles with fire retardant where possible.
- PG&E is bringing in seven utility-scale generators so it can continue to power 3,400 customers in the Quincy and Feather River Canyon areas should fires damage the two transmission lines serving these communities. Connecting utility-scale generators to substations is complex and labor intensive, but PG&E is making the effort in the interest of serving customers. Dozens of workers are preparing the substations to accommodate the generators.
How you can prepare and stay safe:
- PG&E recommends having the following items on hand: a battery-powered radio, flashlights, a first-aid kit, a supply of food or snacks that does not require cooking, and extra water.
- Treat all downed power lines as if they are "live" or energized. Keep yourself and others away from them. Call 911, then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
- Report and get updates on outages at PG&E's 24-Hour Emergency and Customer Service Line: 1-800-743-5002
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