Update Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:45 p.m.
Power is out for about 2,000 Santiam Canyon residents served by Pacific Power as the utility tries to mitigate fire risk during a weekend of hot, dry weather with high expected winds.
As of 12:30 p.m. Friday, the utility reported power was shut off for 2,080 customers in the Mehama and Lyons area, with restoration expected by midnight Sunday.
The utility said it would open a resource center at Bethel Baptist Church, 645 Cleveland Street in Aumsville, for affected customers in Marion County.
Portland General Electric said the utility would shut off power in 10 high-risk areas Friday, as well as in Silverdale and Silver Falls. The outages don’t include the Salem Metro area, but will impact Scotts Mills. As of 1:45 p.m., the utility reported 60 total outages in Marion County affecting 1,142 customers in the Silver Falls and Scotts Mills areas, and a total of over 27,000 Oregon customers without power.
Original story below:
About 12,000 Santiam Canyon residents will be without power Friday and possibly into the weekend as a precaution against high winds and worsening wildfire conditions.
Pacific Power, which serves the Santiam area and others across Oregon, announced Wednesday that it will perform a Public Safety Power Shutoff due to “elevated wildfire conditions and forecasted high, gusty winds,” according to the notice. The shut off will begin at 12 a.m. Friday and continue possibly through Saturday evening.
More than 30,000 additional Oregonians throughout the state could also lose power as other large utility services, like Portland General Electric and Consumers Power Inc, have also announced possible shutoffs.
The shutoff could also impact weekend travelers with plans to head up the canyon. The city of Detroit, as well as marinas on the lake, are served by Consumers Power Inc. Jim Trett, the city’s mayor, said the announcement of high fire risk has many residents on edge.
“Some of our residents immediately went ‘Oh my God, here we go again,’” Trett said about the weather alerts. He said the city has been reminding people the concern is based on projected high winds and dry temperatures, not any fires near the city.
“We don’t have any fires in the area that cause concern, not to say something couldn’t start,” he said.
The National Weather Service has issued multiple red flag warnings for the area, alongside an extreme fire risk level that the Oregon Department of Forestry announced Thursday.
Extreme weather conditions are a concern across the state. The National Weather Service is projecting high temperatures of 92 degrees Friday and 100 degrees Saturday for the Salem area. Meteorologist John Bonk said this could break the 1944 record of 99 degrees for Sept. 10. However, the high winds and low humidity are more noteworthy.
“The heat is a concern… but we’re going to be fairly breezy and very dry, so that actually has accentuated concerns for fire spread,” Bonk said. “What we really want people to do is to really think carefully, because the weather conditions are going to be such that it’s going to support pretty rapid fire spread.”
Pacific Power shutoff
The areas impacted by the Pacific Power shutoff include much of the area impacted by the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, with the shutoff beginning just east of Stayton and including Mehama, Lyons, Mill City and Gates. Lebanon and Sweet Home are also impacted.
The area is under a Red Flag Warning from the National Weather Service, with high fire danger due to high winds and low humidity.
“A strong area of low pressure will bring an increased chance for moderate to strong east wind with critically dry conditions beginning as early as late Thursday night in the Oregon Cascades and persisting well into Saturday,” the warning said.
Utility companies conduct public safety power shutoffs as a precaution and preemptive measure to help reduce wildfire risk during hazardous fire weather. Pacific Power faces multiple lawsuits over its handling of the 2020 Labor Day fires, including its decision not to shut off power in the Santiam Canyon. The company has denied its actions contributed to the fires’ severity and spread.
Pacific Power will be setting up temporary community resource centers in the affected communities, but details weren’t immediately available about those centers.
“Pacific Power is taking additional safety precautions by directing extra personnel and resources to monitor weather impacts on the system. After weather conditions subside, a safety patrol will occur to ensure it is safe to re-energize the electrical network,” according to the announcement.
Impacts in the canyon
The high risk fire conditions are alarming survivors of the 2020 fires that swept through the canyon, said Melissa Baurer, who leads Santiam Hospital’s outreach programs.
“We’re already starting to get calls from people who are starting to have anxiety about this,” Baurer said. “It’s bringing up a lot of trauma, PTSD.”
The hospital’s disaster team has been reaching out to the roughly 220 families they’re working with who are still without housing or need services following the 2020 fires.
Many aren’t on social media, and Baurer said her team has focused on making sure they’re prepared for shutoffs by storing water in bathtubs and ensuring they have fuel for generators. Community health workers will physically check on survivors during the outage if they’re not able to reach them before, she said.
The Stayton hospital will be open during the power shutoff for people to charge medical devices, she said.
Hospital officials also are working with Foothills Church, 975 Fern Ridge Rd S.E. in Stayton, which is opening a cooling center Saturday and has a generator.
Salem water plant ready
The city of Salem’s water intake and the Geren Island treatment facility in Stayton are both within the shutoff area but will keep running under generator power, city spokesman Trevor Smith said.
“All generators are fueled and ready if needed. Thanks to the slow sand filtration, the treatment plant can also run using gravity, if necessary, and produce finished water. Operators will be available if needed this weekend to run generators and monitor the plant,” Smith said in an email.
Canyon residents within cities often have municipal water service, but those outside incorporated areas generally rely on well water, which is power dependent. Without backup generators, that means canyon residents may not have water in the event of a shutoff, said Mike McCord, watermaster for Oregon’s northwest region, which includes Marion and Polk counties.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is working with the county’s emergency management agency to monitor shutoff areas.
“If there happens to be any public safety power shutoffs, we will have increased patrol presence in those areas. We’re making sure that we’ve got people available and ready to go there, so that way, in the event that happens, we’ve got extra staff on hand to help with whatever’s needed,” said Sgt. Jeremy Landers, department spokesman.
Other utilities may cut power
Other large areas of Oregon may also be affected by shutoffs due to wildfire risk.
Consumers Power, a rural electric cooperative that serves more than 23,000 customers, is also considering a power shutoff due to the red flag warnings and high fire risk.
The shutdown would affect portions of the Santiam Canyon including much of Stayton, as well as Lyons, Detroit and Idanha. Other communities, including Sweet Home, Elkhorn and Marion Forks could also be affected, according to the notice, but the shutoff is only being considered as a “last resort.”
Those outages could impact nearby Detroit Lake State Park, which has a full slate of reservations for the weekend. Park visitors should check the state parks website alerts page for updated information about closures, evacuation and current fire bans, said spokesman Chris Havel. State parks close if the area reaches a level 2 wildfire evacuation, which means people should be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
Portland General Electric, which is one of the largest utility services in the state serving more than 900,000 customers through 51 cities, also announced Wednesday night that it is considering a public safety power shutoff from Friday to Saturday.
During a press conference Thursday, PGE’s CEO Maria Pope urged people to “have a plan and be ready for the loss of power.”
“At this point, we believe it is very likely that we will initiate public safety power shutoffs in all 10 of our identified high-risk fire zones. In total this will impact approximately 30,000 homes and businesses,” Pope said. “Turning off power is a last resort for PGE, and it’s only done to protect customers, their property, and the communities that we serve from the risk of fire. Also, given the weather conditions (we) are preparing for significant outages across our service area caused by all of the high winds. These projected winds will make it entirely possible that there will be significant damage to our system, both within and outside of the 10 (public safety power shutoff) areas.”
The areas likely to be affected do not include Salem, according to a utility map, but do cover much of Scotts Mills.
“PGE is actively monitoring conditions and will make the decision based on factors including wind speed, temperature, humidity and the dryness of trees and brush, field observations and information from local fire departments and agencies,” according to a news release Wednesday. “PGE will continue to monitor conditions for the next 24-48 hours and will provide an update. If conditions persist, PGE aims to provide up to four hours of notice before turning off power.”
Shutoffs can last a few days depending on weather conditions. The last time PGE had to conduct a public safety power shutoff was in 2020 in response to the wildfires in the region.
Pope said PGE has field crews and partners ready to respond in case of outages, and will work to restore power quickly. Assuming there is no damage to the system, PGE said power restoration to the shutoff areas would begin Sunday morning with it fully restored Monday night.
Schools closing on Friday
Schools in the Santiam Canyon School District will be closed Friday due to the planned outage, according to a Thursday morning announcement.
The Silver Falls School District announced Thursday afternoon it would close schools Friday due to expected power outages.
Burn bans, campfire restrictions in effect
The city of Salem issued a burn ban Thursday morning in response to weather conditions. The ban will be in effect at least through the weekend, and covers all outdoor burning, including campfires and backyard fire pits, as well as agricultural burning and ceremonial fires.
The city’s fire department has responded to 21 calls about unauthorized burning since the start of fire season on June 1, according to data provided by emergency preparedness manager Greg Walsh. He said generally people comply with burn bans in the city.
Marion County fire agencies issued a burn ban Thursday that takes effect at 11:59 p.m. and includes campfires, backyard burning, land clearing and barbecue grills “where embers or an open/ visible flame is present or emits embers into the atmosphere,” according to the order, signed by Jim Trierweiler, Marion County Fire Defense Board chief.
The ban includes the Aumsville Fire District, Aurora Fire District, Drakes Crossing Fire District, Gates Fire District, Hubbard Fire District, Idanha Detroit Fire District, Jefferson Fire District, Keizer Fire District, Lyons Fire District, Marion County Fire District No. 1, Mill City Fire District, Monitor Fire District, Mount Angel Fire District, Silverton Fire District, St. Paul Fire District, Salem Fire Department, Stayton Fire District, Sublimity Fire District, Turner Fire District and the Woodburn Fire District.
Ron Lee, deputy chief for Marion County Fire District No. 1, said the agency would have “extra boots on the ground” over the weekend to address any fires that crop up.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the fire district cautioned people to take steps to avoid starting fires.
“Conditions may be favorable for rapid fire spread which may threaten life and property. Use extra caution with potential ignition sources, especially in grassy areas,” the post said. Residents should also avoid parking vehicles off improved roadways to avoid brush fires, and should use caution when target practicing or delay practice until conditions improve.
Because of fire conditions, state forests are banning campfires and other activities over the weekend, the state Department of Forestry announced Thursday.
Starting 1 a.m. Friday, off-highway vehicle trails will be closed and campfires banned in state forests in northwest Oregon. The restrictions apply to land in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Linn, Lincoln and Benton counties, including the Tillamook, Clatsop and Santiam state forests, according to a news release.
Willamette National Forest also announced campfire and other restrictions Thursday afternoon.
“All campfires, charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires, or any other open fires will be prohibited outside of designated campgrounds under a Forest Order. Restrictions will also go into effect for chainsaws in campgrounds off-highway vehicles, and smoking. Portable cooking stoves and lanterns using liquefied or bottled fuel are still allowed as they can be instantly switched off,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release.
People can sign up for state emergency alerts at oralert.gov.
Rachel Alexander contributed reporting. Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at [email protected].
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Jordyn Brown is an Oregon journalist who formerly worked for the Eugene Register-Guard.
