Fires burning across San Diego County, along with a record-breaking heat wave, caused power outages across the region Friday.
As of 7 p.m., about 1,100 customers in the the Alpine area were without power due to the West Fire. In addition, about 900 customers in the Pendleton/Fallbrook area remain without power due to the fire in that area.
SDG&E is working to restore service, but there is no update on when all customers will be back online.
Friday morning SDG&E warned backcountry customers of possible outages due to extreme heat and wind. The utility contacted approximately 14,000 customers in high fire risk areas in East County, according to a statement from the utility.
After the West Fire broke out, electric service was disrupted for “a few thousand customers,” according to the SDG&E statement. “Power will be turned back on once the lines have been checked and it is deemed safe. It is not known at this time how long the outage might last given a variety of factors, including damage to the line, the terrain, and whether aerial patrols are possible.”
As of Friday evening, SDG&E officials identified damage caused by the West Fire to a number of power poles. Work to repair the damage is not expected to begin until at least Saturday.
–Staff
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