More than 5,000 lose electricity in Vacaville

A small grass fire is believed to have triggered a power outage that stretched from rural Dixon into Vacaville on Monday.

The fire ignited around 2 p.m. in the area of Leisure Town Road and Sawyer Road.

Thick flames were visible in a photo posted by the Vacaville Police Department to Facebook, with the fire apparently in the same area as a high-powered transmission line.

At the same time, a power outage affecting more than 5,000 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customers was reported, with the proximity of the outage close to the start of the fire's ignition.

A PG&E spokesperson told KCRA-TV (Channel 3) they were unaware of the grass fire and did not know what caused the power outage.

Affected customers in rural Dixon and Vacaville said their electric service was restored around 3 p.m.

The fire and outage happened during a multi-day heat wave that saw the temperature climb above 110 degrees in Vacaville and Dixon.

Last week, Solano NewsNet reported PG&E had warned local government officials that rotating brownouts were possible during the Labor Day weekend if electricity demand exceeded supply, though it was not clear where in Solano or Yolo counties those temporary power outages were likely.

PG&E did not return a request seeking additional comment until reporters at other media outlets began contacting the utility about our story. A PG&E spokesperson ultimately reached out to Solano NewsNet separately with a prepared statement about Flex Alerts that are issued by the California Independent System Operator, but the statement didn't address the possibility of local power outages.

On Monday, the National Weather Service extended an Excessive Heat Warning for much of interior Northern California, including all of Solano County. Originally scheduled to end Tuesday evening, the warning period now lasts through Friday evening.