APS restores power around Flagstaff, Grand Canyon after temporary shutoff due to fire risk

Arizona Public Service announced Sunday afternoon that power was fully restored to customers after it cut power around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon Saturday to help prevent wildfires amid high-risk weather conditions.

APS began the outages at 10 a.m. Saturday and power was restored to customers in the Grand Canyon and Tusayan areas on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, affected residents in Flagstaff saw power return in the afternoon.

Casey Taggatz, a spokesperson for the utility company, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that roughly 8,000 people were affected by the shut offs.

“The concern really stems from a number of different conditions,” Taggatz explained. “There’s incredibly low humidity values right now. The vegetation is extremely dry given the low snow pack throughout the winter and the lack of moisture overall. … When wind gusts pick up to a certain level, obviously that increases that danger.

“We’re looking closely at where our lines exists and where infrastructure exists. … And then, we’re actually using real-time data, forecasting data. … We’re also using fire modeling and looking at fire behavior. So it’s a complex picture, but it’s one that gives us both real-time and forecasted data to really understand the true risk.”

The high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity caused the National Weather Service to activate Red Flag Warnings, which was set to last until 8 p.m. Sunday, across much of the state.

Before turning the power back on, APS crews also inspected power lines for any damage to ensure safety.

“Our crews patrol really throughout this process, as long as its safe to do. And you see the trucks rolling through town and the linemen on foot,” Taggatz said. “But we’ve also got UTVs we’re utilizing, we’ve got advanced technology with drones, they’re surveying lines running up Mount Elden here in Flagstaff. And then we’re using helicopters to fly lines like the Grand Canyon. So, it’s a large effort.”

APS created the Public Safety Power Shutoff program in 2024 and this is only the second time it has had to implement it due to fire weather conditions.

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