PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon utilities shut down power to tens of thousands of customers on Friday as dry easterly winds swept into the region in the hopes that it would lessen the risk of wildfires in dry and hot conditions.
Power shut-offs due to fire weather, common in California, are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest. The plans were part of permanent rules approved in May to manage wildfire danger in high-risk areas.
Portland General Electric halted power to about 30,000 customers in 12 service areas—including the posh West Hills neighborhood of Portland—and Pacific Power shut down service to more than 7,000 customers in a small community on the Pacific Coast, where a wildfire burned two years ago, and in pockets southeast of the state capitol of Salem….