[Update] Downed Power Lines Threaten Grass Fire, Knock Out Power to Nearly 1,700 in Fortuna

Screenshot of the PG&E Outage Map

Downed power lines sparking and arching in front of a Fortuna residence Tuesday afternoon ignited grass at the scene and knocked out power to nearly 1,700 customers, according to scanner traffic and PG&E outage data.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received the call around 4:25 p.m. and dispatched crews to the area of 3470 Hillras Way in Fortuna, where a unit on scene reported the lines were setting grass on fire. PG&E was contacted and gave a 25-minute estimated time of arrival.

PG&E’s outage tracker shows the unplanned outage was reported at 4:08 p.m., affecting 1,696 customers. The utility listed an estimated restoration time of 6:45 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

This story will be updated.

Update 6:30 p.m.: All but 5 customers have had their power restored. The restoral time is estimated for 6:45 p.m. for those five customers who remain without power.