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.

What we know:

Power was restored to all customers as of 7 p.m. on April 22. 

The backstory:

On Tuesday, APS said it was considering a potential power shutoff for 12–24 hours 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 were impacted by the power shut off:

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

APS representatives said they understood the frustration and inconvenience, but their team felt today’s red flag warning from the NWS warranted the shutoff.

"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:

"We’ve got five seasons out here, you know, we’ve got winter, spring, summer, fall, wind and wind’s always part of it so the fact that they’re shutting down now is pretty ridiculous," Grant Gardner, owner of Timberline Tavern and a Flagstaff native said. 

Gardner had to go without regular business today due to the shutoff.

"We got thousands of dollars worth of stuff in the freezer and the cooler and all the food because we’re a restaurant as well, so we had to figure it out and so then I had to go buy a big $1,500 generator," Gardner said. 

He opened his doors for a brief time to let other locals belly up to the bar for some cold beer – cash-only style.

"Get a couple cold beers in, a couple laughs and have fun and try to pay off that generator," Gardner said. 

Gardner said he’s worried about residents and businesses, if this becomes a regular occurrence during wildfire season.

Dig deeper:

Neighbors in the Doney Park area said they were running generators, and even threw 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. 

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 made 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:

"It feels like it’s the first, but it doesn’t seem like it’s the last. If they’re just gonna panic, panic shutdown, that sucks, and so we’re gonna have to figure it out," Gardner said.  

Another concern was from residents who depend on oxygen or refrigerated medications. APS says customers can enroll in the company’s medical program for advance notifications.

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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