Thousands Of SDG&E Customers Without Power As Shutoffs Begin In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — Dry and windy conditions have increased wildfire risk across San Diego County, prompting public safety power shutoffs in parts of the region.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 8,991 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were without power in communities across the county in an effort to reduce wildfire risk due to low humidity and strong Santa Ana winds.

"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 utility 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."

Tens of thousands of more customers could lose power this week as the region faces the driest start to the rainy season in 174 years, according to SDG&E. A total of 56,484 additional customers could be affected by the outages.

A red flag warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday for the county's mountains and valleys.

A list of impacted communities and community resource centers is available at sdge.com/ready.

Community resource centers will remain open for impacted communities until power has been fully restored, according to SDG&E. The centers are equipped with wi-fi and charging stations for phone and medical devices.