Wind-Driven Power Outage Hits Mar Vista

LOS ANGELES, CA — Gusting Santa Ana winds knocked out power to residents across the Southland Monday, with Southern California Edison reporting more than 35,000 outages in Los Angeles County alone.

As of mid-afternoon Monday, there were 35,012 SCE customers affected in county areas served by the utility, including more than 1,000 in La Canada Flintridge, Claremont and Monrovia.

In the city of Los Angeles, about 8,900 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers were affected as of Monday afternoon, with Mar Vista, Valley Village and Canoga Park among the most affected areas.

In Orange County, more than 18,000 SCE customers were without power.

"We've been busy all morning with power line problems due to the wind," said Garden Grove fire Capt. Thanh Nguyen. "We're telling people that if they do see lines down, stay away and call 911 and keep children and pets away. It's kind of a challenge to tell the difference between a power line, cable or telephone line."

Most of the outages were attributed to the gusting winds. But as the winds continue, customers in some areas might have their power cut voluntarily. Utility companies such as Edison monitor conditions during extreme fire conditions and can cut power in select areas to reduce fire danger from damaged electrical lines.

Officials in Malibu said Edison notified the city Monday morning that it was monitoring conditions in the area under the Power Safety Shutoff Program.

"Residents should be prepared for possible power outages," according to an alert sent out by the city.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock