IMPORTANT

PG&E Crews, Helicopters and Wildfire Resources Head to Southern California to Help  

Date: January 08, 2025
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As PG&E continues to closely monitor several deadly, devastating wildfires burning in Southern California, the company is sending crews and equipment to aid firefighting agencies and utilities in the area.  

 

PG&E dispatched two Blackhawk helicopters to Los Angeles to support Cal Fire’s firefighting efforts. Those helicopters arrived Wednesday afternoon. 

 

PG&E also has mobilized 25 Safety and Infrastructure Protection Team (SIPT) crews to Southern California to provide mutual assistance at the request of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).  

 

Those crews will assist LADWP with electric and water asset protection by applying fire retardant on poles and other equipment, checking fire-damaged utility equipment and making the area safe for LADWP crews to restore power.  Some electric distribution crews also will be traveling to Southern California to help with restoration.

 

“The challenging wildfire conditions we saw last year have carried forward into the start of 2025 for parts of California that haven’t experienced any relief from rain. We are very fortunate to have experienced a few significant rainstorms in our service area this rain season. This puts us in a good position to share wildfire response resources and crews with hometowns and utilities in Southern California,” said PG&E Wildfire, Emergency & Operations Senior Vice President Mark Quinlan. 

 

“Last year, we experienced an unprecedented number of extreme weather events in our hometowns and across the nation. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation caused by the catastrophic wildfires in Southern California.  With immense empathy for the wildfire challenges that our friends, families and neighbors are experiencing, our teams are enroute to provide support in the impacted areas.  I continue to be inspired by our team’s unwavering commitment to not only serve our customers but those in need beyond our hometowns,” said Electric Operations Senior Vice President Peter Kenny. 

Monitoring wind conditions for PG&E customers 

 

PG&E is monitoring Red Flag conditions in portions of its own service area in Kern, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. PG&E has enabled Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings across circuits in multiple counties in response to the high winds and low humidity from this offshore wind event that could cause ignitions.  

 

“We’ve seen gusts above 40 miles per hour in the southern part of our service area that will continue into tomorrow. While it’s not unusual to see high wind gusts in January, it is unusual combined with the lack of rain we’ve seen so far this year down south,” said Evan Duffey, a manager in Meteorology and Fire Sciences. “We will continue to closely watch conditions as they develop and provide data-driven information to our field operations team so they can make informed decisions about the grid.” 

 

In 2024, PG&E’s fleet of four Blackhawk helicopters, referred to internally as “Bluehawks,” were used extensively in firefighting efforts across California logging more than 300 flight hours – many in support of CAL FIRE’s efforts to extinguish the Park Fire in Butte County. All four helicopters can be configured with 1,100-gallon belly tanks and snorkels for initial attack in urban areas or 900-gallon long line buckets for tall, heavy timber forest fires.           

                                      

This week, strong Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions spawned massive wildfires across the Los Angeles Basin. More than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate, according to the Associated Press, which also reported five deaths, multiple injuries and hundreds of destroyed and damaged homes and businesses. 

 

By Wednesday afternoon, CAL FIRE reported the Palisades Fire had burned 15,832 acres, and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena has burned 10,600 acres. Several smaller wildfires also are burning. CAL FIRE reported 0% containment on each of the fires.  

 

PG&E’s layers of wildfire protection 

 

PG&E operates a robust, year-round, multi-layered wildfire mitigation program to prevent catastrophic wildfires. In addition to PG&E’s wildfire mitigation initiatives, the company also utilizes Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) as an additional layer of protection for customers and hometowns when extreme weather conditions align that pose significant threat for wildfire, including high levels of dry vegetation, low humidity levels and high wind speeds. 

While no PSPS events are currently planned for PG&E’s service area, the company is always reviewing its emergency preparedness.  

Tips, resources to keep customers safe 

“We encourage all PG&E customers and Californians to have a plan and be ready and prepared for different types of extreme weather or natural disaster events year-round. The greatest way to stay safe is to prepare with resources and a plan,” said PG&E’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Vice President Angie Gibson. 

 

PG&E’s Safety Action Center is an online preparedness resource that provides information to help customers keep their families, homes and businesses safe during natural disasters and other emergencies. You can: 

  

 

Additionally, Ready.gov has tools and resources to help you and your family prepare emergency plans for yourselves, friends and neighbors. And the American Red Cross also offers many tips to help prepare and respond to emergencies