Residents in the greater Chelan and Manson areas are being told to prepare for a possible Saturday blackout as dangerous fire-weather conditions move into the weekend. Chelan County PUD says it could shut off power for public safety, with an early estimate of up to 24 hours.
FOX 13 Seattle reported Friday that the utility may cut power if forecast conditions become imminent, with potentially affected addresses expected to appear on the PUD outage page. The warning covers the possibility of a public safety power shutoff beginning Saturday, not a guaranteed outage for every customer in either community.
Chelan County Emergency Management is urging customer-owners in the greater Chelan and Manson areas to check whether their property falls inside the potential shutoff zone and to monitor official alerts. County officials say the possible outage could last as long as 24 hours if severe fire weather develops.
Why Chelan PUD Might Cut Power
A public safety power shutoff is a preventive outage intended to reduce the chance that electrical equipment will ignite a wildfire during extreme conditions. Chelan PUD explains that it considers predicted wind gusts, humidity, fuel moisture and potential fire behavior, and treats a PSPS as a rarely used last resort.
The utility advises residents who could be affected to charge phones, gather water, shelf-stable food, medications, ice, fuel and cash, and review safe generator operation before an outage begins. It also recommends keeping refrigerators and freezers closed, unplugging sensitive electronics and waiting before turning appliances back on after electricity is restored.
County emergency guidance separately recommends that households maintain an evacuation plan and a ready emergency kit, a particularly important step while wildfires remain active elsewhere in the region. Anyone who relies on electricity for medical equipment should make backup arrangements rather than assume the grid will remain available.
Warning Follows A Dangerous Stretch For Eastern Washington
The timing reflects broader fire concerns across Eastern Washington. The Washington Department of Natural Resources imposed an outdoor burning ban on state-protected lands beginning July 17, citing hot, dry weather and increasing wildfire activity.
The area is still dealing with the fallout from the Chelan Hills Fire, which began near Highway 97 on July 4 and killed at least one person while destroying homes. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said investigators found human remains in a vehicle consumed by the fire and continued searching affected neighborhoods for possible additional victims.
For Chelan and Manson residents, the practical takeaway is simple: prepare for the lights to go out, then watch the PUD's outage updates and county emergency alerts for confirmation. A temporary blackout may be inconvenient, but officials are weighing that disruption against the risk of energized lines becoming ignition sources during extreme fire conditions.
