With windy, dry weather in the forecast again, California's largest utility said Monday it's considering shutting off power this week to about a half million people to try and prevent wildfires ignited by electrical equipment.
Pacific Gas & Electric said shutoffs in the northern part of the state could potentially start Wednesday and affect some 200,000 customers in 16 counties, mostly in the Sierra foothills and to the north of the San Francisco Bay Area. Winds in some areas could top 60 mph (97 kph) according to forecasters. Any blackouts would last at least 48 hours, the utility said.
A huge portion of California faces a high risk of fire amid unpredictable gusts of wind and soaring temperatures. At least two homes burned Monday evening in a mountain community near San Bernardino in inland Southern California. Earlier in the day Los Angeles firefighters beat back a blaze as it raced up canyon walls toward multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes on a coastal ridge.