Over 15K Without Power, Over 68K More Under Power Shutoff Warning In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — More than 15,000 San Diego Gas and Electric customers were without power and tens of thousands of other customers could lose power as extreme fire weather conditions prompted new public safety power shutoffs in parts of the region.

As of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, 15,463 SDG&E customers were without power in communities across the county in an effort to reduce wildfire risk as three blazes broke out overnight in North County.

• Also see: Lilac Fire Forces School Closures, Prompts Evacuations In Bonsall Area

More customers could lose power due low humidity and Santa Ana winds that were expected to be the strongest of the season, according to the utility company. A total of 68,162 additional customers could be affected by the outages.

"SDG&E's Emergency Operations Center is monitoring the high winds and severe wildfire conditions around the clock and will continue to de-energize equipment for safety as conditions warrant," the company said in a news release. "Safety is our top priority, and power will be restored when conditions improve and no longer pose a threat to our customers."

A red flag warning was in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday for the county's inland valleys and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. A high wind warning was in effect until 4 p.m. Tuesday for the mountains and valleys. A fire weather watch was also issued for 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursday for the mountains and valleys.

SDG&E opened community resource centers to assist affected communities. Centers have wi-fi and charging stations for phone and medical devices.

A list of impacted communities and community resource center locations was available at sdge.com/ready.

Also see:

• High Winds, Fire Danger, Outages Force School Closures In San Diego County
• Crews Halt Riverview Fire In Fallbrook
• Crews Battle Pala Fire In San Diego's North County
• Lilac Fire Forces School Closures, Prompts Evacuations In Bonsall Area