APS warns of possible power shutoff near Flagstaff, Grand Canyon

The planned shutoff could affect about 8,000 customers, including roughly 6,000 in the Flagstaff area and about 150 farther north in and around Grand Canyon National Park, excluding Grand Canyon Village. Power could go out as early as 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, in a corridor where hotel stays, device charging and some park services could all be disrupted.

The warning covered Doney Park, Timberline, Fernwood, Mormon Lake, Cosnino, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon, Valle, some east Flagstaff neighborhoods, Tusayan, the South Rim, the East Rim and Fort Valley/Baderville. Dry terrain, low humidity, high temperatures and wind gusts near 60 mph near critical electrical infrastructure made the shutoff possible. The goal was to keep utility equipment from starting or contributing to a wildfire.

Charging phones and camera batteries, checking into lodging, keeping dinner reservations and staying connected for maps and messaging could become harder fast. Impacted customers had already been directly notified and should prepare for 12 to 24 hours without power. The City of Flagstaff opened the Murdoch Center at 203 E Brannen Ave as a place for information and device charging during the outage.

The South Rim Visitor Center Theater was scheduled to close during the shutoff window from 10 a.m. June 27 through approximately 4 p.m. June 28, while other park services remained available. Desert View sits 23 miles east of Grand Canyon Village along Arizona State Route 64.

If the shutoff went forward, restoration would come only after patrols and inspections once conditions improved. APS created its Public Safety Power Shutoff program in 2024 as part of its Comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan, and its April 22 shutoff was the first time extreme weather conditions triggered it. That earlier outage was restored by 6:45 p.m. after crews checked lines and confirmed it was safe to re-energize them.