SPOKANE COUNTY, WASH. — Avista is preparing to cut power to parts of northwest Spokane County this weekend as dangerous fire weather approaches the region.
The public safety power shutoff will begin around 4 p.m. Saturday in the Indian Trail neighborhood, an area that has experienced multiple outages over the years when fire conditions warrant precautionary measures.
When forecasts predict dangerous fire weather, Avista can decide to de-energize its power lines before conditions become critical. This preemptive approach aims to reduce the risk of power lines sparking wildfires during periods of elevated fire danger.
The Indian Trail area faces particular vulnerability to wildfire risk. “Specifically for the Indian Trail area, there are local conditions that make it prone to more wildfire risk than other areas. The slopes and the wind can make stronger, more localized gusts in that area,” said Elizabeth Frederiksen, Director of Wildfire Resilience at Avista.
People in the neighborhood hold mixed views about the shutoffs. Some see them as a necessary safety measure, while others view them primarily as an inconvenience, particularly during hot weather when air conditioning becomes essential.
One woman in the neighborhood relies on electricity to power her oxygen tank, making power outages a significant hardship. For her and others with medical equipment dependencies, these shutoffs create serious challenges.
However, other residents support the utility company decision. “I want people to not be grumpy and complain about the power being off. It’s off for a good reason. Unless you want to die in a fire, and I don’t think most people do,” said Bill Rydell, an Indian Trail resident.
Avista is exploring long-term solutions to reduce the frequency of these shutoffs. The utility company is considering what it calls “grid hardening” strategies in the Indian Trail area, which would include burying power lines underground. Such improvements would eliminate the need for public safety power shutoffs in the future.
“Seeing that Indian Trail continues to be one of those areas that meets the PSPS criteria more often than others, it will definitely be looked at in the near future to see if it makes sense to do some of those grid-hardening strategies,” Frederiksen said.
The utility company emphasizes that weather conditions could change before Saturday. Avista has personnel monitoring atmospheric conditions constantly and will notify customers of any changes to the planned shutoff. Residents should prepare for the possibility of extended power loss and take steps to protect perishable food and ensure they have alternative cooling options if needed.
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