PG&E Could Cut Power to Hundreds of Thousands of Californians over Wildfire Fears

Pacific Gas & Electric officials on Tuesday announced plans to cut off power to some 600,000 Northern California customers as a wildfire safety precaution.

The outages are expected to begin early Wednesday depending on local timing of the severe wind conditions, PG&E said.

The outage could cover 29 of the state’s 58 counties. Cities that could go dark include parts of Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Richmond, El Cerrito, San Mateo and several coastal communities along Highway 1.

The National Weather Service has called for red flag fire warnings on Wednesday with low humidity expected.

PG&E also announced plans to open community resources centers around affected locations starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

Southern California Edison, which provides power to Southern California issued an advisory on Monday that it could cut power this week to about 12,000 customers in Kern, Inyo, Mono, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Related:

• Thousands of Californians Face Power Shutoffs Due to Wildfire Risk
• PG&E Will Face Jury Over Billions in Damages from Massive California Wildfire
• PG&E Shares Dive on Risk of up to $18B in Wildfire Lawsuit Costs

Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire