SoCal Edison Cuts Power for 4,300 Customers

In its latest bout of weather-related public safety power shutoffs, Southern California Edison on Thursday cut electricity to more than 4,300 customers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The utility deenergizes power lines when weather conditions present a risk of wildfire ignition or other natural disasters. The National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued red flag warnings for L.A. and Ventura counties Thursday and Friday due to critical fire conditions, including wind gusts of between 40 and 70 miles per hour, high temperatures of 87 to 97 degrees and low humidity of 2 to 9 percent. So far, nine circuits in Ventura County have been deenergized, including several in Camarillo, Limonera, Somis and Santa Paula. There are 41 additional circuits in the county under consideration should conditions worsen. In L.A. County, at least one circuit was cut off in Ague Dulce, northeast of Santa Clarita. Additional circuits in Glendale, San Fernando, Chatsworth, West Hills, Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, and Castaic are under consideration. According to a statement from Edison, “Power could be shut off for hours or days, depending on weather conditions. Southern California Edison (SCE) determines when power is turned off and when it is safe to turn power back on.” Camarillo City Hall and the Camarillo Police Department will remain open with full power, according to a statement from the city. The power cuts come two just weeks after Edison issued shutoffs for more than 21,000 residents of the northern San Fernando Valley to reduce risk in the midst of the Saddleridge Fire, which burned more than 8,800 acres, damaged dozens of buildings and was tied to two deaths.