Hot, dry and windy conditions forecast to hit the Bay Area starting Wednesday, July 15, are prompting PG&E to cut power to thousands of customers across 10 counties.
Palo Alto residents won't lose electricity as the city runs its own municipal utility but the same fire weather underscores why the Palo Alto Fire Department has been ramping up seasonal wildfire defenses in the Foothills.
PG&E announced Tuesday, July 14, that Public Safety Power Shutoffs would begin Wednesday and continue into Thursday, July 16, affecting customers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Joaquin and other counties. The utility shuts down equipment in areas where weather conditions could spark wildfires.
The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is not subject to those shutoffs. But the city has been investing heavily in its own wildfire defenses since a 4-acre vegetation fire burned near Arastradero Road on June 22, contained within the hour with no structures involved but prompting a multi-agency response near the Portola Valley border.
$11 million in buried power lines
The city's biggest infrastructure bet against wildfire ignition is nearly finished. CPAU has buried approximately 49,200 feet, about nine miles, of overhead electric distribution lines and fiber optic cable in the Foothills, a state-designated high fire threat area. The $11 million project launched in 2021 and was originally scheduled for completion by June 2026.
It's running slightly behind. Kenneth Dueker, director of the city's Office of Emergency Services, told a June 30 meeting the work would wrap "within a month." Crews are removing the last wooden poles and completing final underground substructures.
"Frankly, we the city of Palo Alto, as an electric utility operator, do not want to be the cause of the fire," Dueker said. "So, a very large and costly effort has been going on, which is basically being completed this month … to remove from the wildland-urban interface these overhead power lines that the city controls."
Utilities Director Alan Kurotori said the undergrounding has significantly reduced the likelihood that CPAU would need to implement its own power shutoffs during fire season. The California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board has recognized the project in a public report.
Boots in the Foothills
Fire Station 8 at Foothills Nature Preserve is open for the season, staffed jointly by Palo Alto and the Santa Clara County Fire Department. The city has also been clearing vegetation at the preserve and maintaining fire breaks.
Fire Marshal Tammy Jasso said inspectors have been visiting homes in the foothills to check wildfire preparedness, a practice she described as important both for neighborhood safety and for familiarizing engine companies with the terrain.
Fire Chief Stephen Lindsey, at the June 30 meeting, cited the city's history of major wildfires: the 1962 Leib Fire that burned about 1,300 acres near Skyline Boulevard, the 1985 Liddicoat Fire that scorched more than 1,000 acres between Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto, and the 2020 CZU Fire that destroyed 35,000 acres in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. Lindsey emphasized protecting "Zone Zero", the first 5 feet around a house, by clearing leaf litter, dried vegetation and flammable materials.
What residents should know
Palo Alto is not at risk of a power shutoff during the July 15–16 event. But the city's own PSPS protocols remain in place for the Foothills if conditions worsen, and CPAU has maintained direct outreach to Foothills customers about potential shutoff events during fire season.
Dueker said at the June 30 meeting the undergrounding work would finish within a month. Once complete, the risk of a city-caused ignition in the wildland-urban interface drops to near zero.
