The City of Sacramento worked diligently Sunday to respond to calls for service as a massive windstorm continued to whip through Northern California.
The City’s Public Works department and its Urban Forestry division called in expanded crews to remove fallen tree limbs on a day that saw wind gusts of more than 50 mph in Sacramento.
The City did not have any street closures as of early Sunday afternoon, according to Ryan Moore, director of Public Works.
However, a large grass fire near Arena Boulevard forced the closure of a section of Interstate 5 on Sunday afternoon. The Sacramento Fire Department was on scene battling the blaze as the Sacramento Police Department diverted traffic.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, all northbound traffic was blocked at Interstate 80. All southbound traffic was blocked at Arena Boulevard.
The City also spent the weekend helping to fight the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. Sac Fire deployed 22 firefighters to help contain the blaze. In addition, Sac PD sent officers to assist with evacuations and patrolling operations to protect property.
The high winds were expected to subside by midnight Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Nevertheless, the region will remain in a Red Flag warning for extreme fire hazard into the week.
“While our City team works to expeditiously respond to all hazards, we would like to remind citizens to stay smart and stay safe during any storm event,” said Daniel Bowers, the City’s director of emergency management.
The City is asking residents to report any signs of fire immediately by calling 911.
Residents should call 311 to report downed limbs/trees or damage to traffic signals.
All limbs/trees down will be addressed by priority, cleaning up those that affect public safety and right-of-way first.
Be aware of potential power lines in or around downed trees and limbs – If overhead power lines are downed, stay clear. Call 911 or 1-888-456-7683 for assistance. Do not touch the wires.
If it is a private tree, please contact a private tree service for assistance.
Please call in issues only once; duplicated calls slow the process.
If wait times are high for calling 311, issues can be reported at Sac311.org.
