Due to extreme fire weather and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric has notified customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk.
The shutoffs could take place for approximately 115,000 customers as early as Monday afternoon, SDG&E said in a Saturday news release.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs are approved by state regulators as a safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk when there are dangerous weather conditions.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for Southern California mountains and valleys, some of which are in SDG&E’s service territory, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday and extending through early Wednesday morning.
SDG&E began Saturday to notify customers who are most at risk of the possible shutoffs. Messages were sent via phone, text messages and email. Once weather conditions improve, crews will work to restore power as quickly as possible.
SDG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center to monitor conditions and has personnel, pre-staged materials and equipment ready to respond. The utility will notify customers when Community Resource Centers are activated for impacted areas.
During periods when there are high winds, SDG&E encourages customers to be prepared for unplanned outages or downed lines. Customers should never approach a downed line and should report it by calling 911 or SGD&E’s call center at 800-411-7343.
Real-time information about unplanned power outages can be found online.
