SDG&E Shuts Off Power To Thousands In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA – Thousands of people are without power in San Diego County, after strong Santa Ana winds prompted San Diego Gas & Electric to shut off power as a precaution.

SDG&E began shutting off power Wednesday night due to critical fire conditions, initially affecting more than 1,000 customers in multiple communities. By 10 a.m. Friday morning, the utility company had cut power to more than 20,000 customers across the region, county officials said.

The widespread outages occurred as the Lilac Fire burned 4,100 acres in northern San Diego County.

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Current conditions indicate that power may remain out for several days before it can be safely restored, according to the company.

"SDG&E takes its responsibility to safely operate the electrical system very seriously," the company said in a statement. "If conditions threaten the integrity of the system, creating an emergency, SDG&E will turn off the power to protect the public."

According to SDG&E, the company considers emergency circumstances, temperature, humidity, wind speed measurements, field observations by SDG&E crews, and information from Cal Fire and other fire agencies when deciding whether to shut power off for safety reasons.

"SDG&E understands the inconvenience of shutting off power and will make every effort to restore service promptly once it is safe to do so," the company said.

SDG&E advised residents to be aware of the potential for downed power lines due to gusty winds. Residents were also reminded to never touch a downed power line and assume that all electrical lines are energized at all times.

To report a downed power line, call 911 or SDG&E.

ALSO SEE:

• Lilac Fire: 4,100 Acres Burned, 0% Contained In San Diego County
• San Diego County Under Red Flag Fire Warning Through Sunday
• Lilac Fire Burns Out Of Control In San Diego County
• Lilac Fire: Schools, Colleges Closed Friday In San Diego County
• Strong Santa Ana Winds Prompt 'Extreme' Fire Warning In San Diego

Main photo by Noah Berger/Associated Press