San Diego Gas & Electric has notified customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds.
The utility reported that up to 64,866 customers could lose power this week due to heightened wildfire risks, with the region experiencing the driest start to the rainy season in 174 years.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night.
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.
SDG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center and staffed it with key personnel to monitor weather conditions throughout the duration of the event, especially the wind speeds in the high fire risk areas of the county.
Given the potential for extended power outages, SDG&E encourages customers to be prepared. Outage preparedness tips can be found at sdge.com/outage-center.
Customers should never approach a downed line and should report it by calling 911 or SGD&E’s call center at 800-411-7343. The utility advised that personal emergency plans should be used to keep family, pets and livestock safe.
Real-time information about unplanned power outages can be found at sdge.com/outage.
City News Service contributed to this article.
