In an unprecedented move, Pacific Gas & Electric said it will shut off power to about 800,000 customers across Northern California in a desperate attempt to avoid wildfires caused by winds damaging power equipment. It would be the biggest power shutdown so far as utilities across California attempt to reduce wildfire risk due to heavy wind. The utility said, in advance of possibly strong Santa Ana winds , power could be cut off to more than 106,000 customers in parts of eight Southern California counties. Edison’s possible outage would primarily affect utility customers in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. AdvertisementSome state and local officials also have complained that utilities don’t always give enough notice before turning off the power.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 08, 2019 22:57 UTC