Once again, hot, dry winds sweeping across vast swaths of the state have prompted energy companies to shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers in hopes of preventing a catastrophic wildfire sparked by their equipment. On Wednesday, Pacific Gas & Electric said it would cut power to 179,000 customers in the Wine Country area, in the Sierra foothills and in Kern County in the afternoon and overnight. [Read the full story about the power shut-offs.] Even so, the Kincade Fire sparked in northeastern Sonoma County, burning at a “dangerous rate,” over hundreds of acres, according to The Press Democrat. As of late Wednesday night, Southern California Edison said it was considering shutting power off to 308,000 customers across a large area.

Source: New York Times October 24, 2019 12:22 UTC