Power Shutoffs Affect Thousands Across The Southland

LOS ANGELES, CA — Thousands of Southland residents were without electricity Saturday due to public safety power shutoffs that may yet affect thousands more before the weekend ends.

The Southern California Edison outages Saturday mainly impacted 3,000 customers in Los Angeles and Kern counties, according to Southern California Edison while in the Big Bear area, the local utility shut off power for more than 5,000 customers. Some people in the Big Bear area reported Bear Valley Electric outages that began Friday and were expected to continue until Sunday. More than 15,000 customers in Orange, Los Angeles and Kern counties still face the possibility of shutoffs amid dry, windy conditions ripe for wildfires.

"We take into account several conditions in determining whether a power safety shutoff is demanded, so those include prevailing wind and wind gusts as well as how dry the vegetation is and how dry the air is," Southern California Edison spokesman Jeff Monford said. "Ignitions are very likely whenever the air is very dry."

The landscape across Southern California remains bone-dry, with the drought conditions ranging from extreme to moderate, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

As the region enters extreme drought conditions, the devastating impact of the January wildfires, driven by windstorms not seen since the 1880s, remain as a stark reminder of the danger Southern California faces. More public safety power shutoffs are likely in store for the Southland this summer as wildfire season kicks in.

On Saturday, the San Bernardino County Fire Department battled a 6-acre blaze that shut down Highway 330, the main route to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear.

"At SCE we know every outage is a burden and that we use the tool of public safety power shutoffs whenever conditions on a circuit demand it."

After a circuit has been shutoff, crews must inspect the system for damage before the power can be turned back on, said Monford.

SCE urges anyone who sees a downed power line to stay at least 100-feet away and to call 911, he added.