To guard against new wildfires and new liability, PG&E last year began pre-emptive power shut-offs when conditions are exceptionally dangerous. That's the situation now in Northern California, where high and dry winds are expected until Wednesday. The fire danger also is high in Southern California, where new fires were burning in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Fire engineer Paul Kahler of Fountain Valley, Calif., examines a melted light post where a structure was destroyed by the El Dorado wildfire near Yucaipa, Cailf., on Monday. California has seen 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes in mid-August.

Source: CBC News September 08, 2020 08:15 UTC