APS shuts off power to 6,000 Flagstaff-area customers for wildfire prevention

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – With extreme winds and a red flag warning in effect, Arizona Public Service shut off power to thousands of customers in northern Arizona as part of the company’s plan to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Local perspective:

On Tuesday, APS said it was considering a potential power shutoff to mitigate wildfire risk in the Flagstaff area. On Wednesday at 9 a.m., power was shut off to approximately 6,000 customers. APS says the power was turned off to help prevent electrical equipment from starting or contributing to a wildfire.

“Extreme winds, with gusts forecasted to reach nearly 60 miles per hour near critical electrical infrastructure, coupled with dry terrain and other factors pose elevated wildfire risk,” the company said in a news release. “APS meteorologists and fire mitigation specialists continue to closely monitor conditions and coordinate with local emergency management.”

The following communities are impacted by the power shut off:

• Doney Park
• Timberline
• Fernwood
• Mormon Lake
• Cosnino
• Sunset Crater
• Walnut Canyon
• Valle

“Those wind speeds, in conjunction with the extremely dry conditions that we’re seeing that are abnormal for the month of April are creating a perfect combination for extreme catastrophic wildfire risk,” APS spokesperson Yessica Del Rincon said. “Our power lines have electricity running three, seven wind events of this nature can break our equipment and cause us [to] contribute to a wildfire, and so we just want to make sure that we’re reducing that risk.”

APS says power was also shut off for an additional 150 customers further north in some locations in and around Grand Canyon National Park, not including Grand Canyon Village.

What they’re saying:

Neighbors in the Doney Park area said they’ve been running generators, and even through a block of ice in their refrigerators.

“It’s been a huge pain. We’re trying to work and have no power,” resident Jess Caylor said. 

Dig deeper:

APS said the shut-off decision was a last resort, but that “inspections and restoration will begin as soon as weather conditions permit.”

“This is not a decision that APS takes lightly,” Del Rincon said. “We really try to be surgical and methodical in our approach.”

Some customers said it felt premature, while others agree with the decision.

“I think they make a bad call. I think they jumped the gun without really looking at it,” resident Rick Collins said.

“It’s a necessary evil, we gotta do it,” APS customer J.C. Hall added.

What’s next:

Power is expected to be out for 12–24 hours. APS says changing weather conditions may affect the outage times.

What you can do:

To view a map of the areas affected by the power outage, click here. You can also contact APS’ customer care center at 602-371-7171.

Ice distribution locations can be found at aps.com/outagemap. Residents can be reimbursed for the purchase of up to 40 pounds of bagged ice or 20 pounds of dry ice to help preserve food by filling out this form.

For the latest updates, visit aps.com/psps or aps.com/outagemap.

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