Another wildfire is causing havoc in the Golden State, as thousands of residents in Northern California were left without electricity after transmission lines were cut due to fire risks.
Thousands Without Electricity
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Utility companies were forced to cut off power to tens of thousands of customers in Northern California this week, due to a nearly 700-acre wildfire raging near Lake Tahoe and the town of Verdi in Washoe County.
Gold Ranch Fire
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The wildfire – first dubbed the Quilici Fire and renamed the Gold Ranch Fire – had burned around 500 acres along the Truckee River by Monday, causing temporary interstate closures, forced evacuations, and a response from utility company NV Energy.
28,000 Customers
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By Monday morning, nearly 28,000 customers were left without power across Northern California and for varying periods of time.
Placer County Most Affected
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The worst affected area was Placer County, which covers the northwestern section of Lake Tahoe. Atleast 10,000 outages were recorded here by PowerOutage.us, a power outage aggregate site.
More Impacted
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Contra Costa, Nevada, Plumas, Santa Clara, Sierra, and Trinity County were also affected by the outages.
110 Outages
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NV Energy also displayed 110 different outages affecting the region and multiple electricity suppliers issued notices acknowledging the issue on Monday.
Transmission Line Cut
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“We are aware of the power outage affecting the entire north side of our service territory,” said electricity and water utility company Liberty Utilities in an online post. “NV Energy has cut power to the transmission line servicing this area due to a fire in Verdi. There is no restoration time currently available. We will update when information is available.”
Truckee Donner Public Utility District
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The Truckee Donner Public Utility District also took to social media to share an alert about the power outage, informing customers that “NV Energy has de-energized the transmission lines that feed Truckee due to their proximity to this fire.”
Continuing Into the Night
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The outages continued into the night, with TPUD reporting that “All of TDPUD’s system remains without power, as well as much of North Lake Tahoe,” by 9 pm on Monday.
Most Restored by Tuesday
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According to NV Energy, electricity had been restored to all but 6,286 households by Tuesday.
Wildfire Still Raging
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While power outages are no longer a major issue in affected areas, the Gold Ranch wildfire was still burning as of Tuesday, with 674 acres burnt and 8% of the fire contained.
Evacuation Notices Lifted
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All evacuations across the surrounding counties have been lifted, according to management at the Washoe County Emergency Department, though evacuation warnings still remain.
“Enter At Your Own Risk”
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“Residents may return home, but enter at your own risk,” they said in an announcement on social media. “Firefighting (is) still occurring in the area. Dangerous trees prevalent.”
A Vehicle Fire in Gold Ranch
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The Gold Ranch Fire was the result of a vehicle fire, involving a 2020 Alfa Romeo, that began on Sunday night in the Gold Ranch area near Verdi.
200 Firefighters Deployed
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200 firefighters were deployed across the California-Nevada border to contain the fire, which threatened hundreds of homes but has destroyed just one so far.
Investigations Underway
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So far, investigations into the cause of the fire are still underway, but one suspect has been arrested according to Nevada State Police.
One Suspect Arrested
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Andrew Nick, believed to be the owner of the Alfa Romeo that caused the fire, is currently detained in Washoe County jail on a DUI charge.
Ravaged by Wildfires
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Outages may not be so surprising to electricity customers in Northern California, as the wider state has been ravaged by wildfires this year, with hundreds of thousands of acres burned in less than a month.
Worrying Data
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The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed that 751,327 acres of land have been torched by fires since July 30.
Devastating Wildfire Season
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It has been a devastating wildfire season for the Golden State, with 29 times the amount of land burned compared to last year. The DFFP also calculated this year’s activity as being 2,816% higher than last season.
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