More than 2,000 San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) customers were still without power by Sunday evening after SDG&E shut off electricity amid a fire weather warning earlier in the day. Customers are expected to be without power at least until Monday.
SDG&E originally shut off power to about 3,800 customers in east and northeast parts of the county on Sunday, the first day of a National Weather Service red flag warning due to fire weather conditions. Some customers have not had power since Saturday night. The majority had power shut off around 9 a.m. Sunday.
On Sunday, the utility company said power "will remain out for at least one day" and that these outages were for safety reasons.
Descanso resident Kim Carrell told NBC 7 she tries to prepare for the possibility of fires.
“We did truck in some water so we didn't drain our holding tanks because you do want to have access to water when the fire department comes and it needs to try to put out your home,” Carrell said.
Shane Shea, who also lives in Descanso, doesn’t see the outages as much of an inconvenience.
“I've got a lot of kerosene lamps, and we read at night,” he said. “I get a great big block of ice, put it in my chest freezer and shut the lid.”
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In the mountains at Sill Hill there was a wind gust reported at 89 mph – similar to hurricane strength winds. In the valley, gusts ranged between 30 to 40 mph.
The NWS issued the red flag warning at 7 p.m. Saturday due to a combination of extreme weather conditions that have the potential to spark and quickly spread wildfires. It was set to expire at 4 p.m. Monday.
Some of the areas affected by the outages include Descanso, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna, Valley Center, Pauma Valley, Rincon, Santa Ysabel, Palomar Mountain, Lake Henshaw, East Ramona, Mesa Grande, Pine Hills, Boulder Creek, Jacumba and Pala.
SDG&E opened two "mobile customer care centers" Sunday to provide Wi-Fi, water, snacks and a charging station for those affected by the outages. More information can be found here.
SDG&E last shut off power during a red flag warning in December during the Lilac Fire. The move outraged some residents and San Diego County Supervisor Diane Jacob, who questioned whether the outages to about 17,000 customers were necessary.
SDG&E said at the time that the shut-offs were necessary to prevent downed power lines from sparking more fires.
The red flag warning was issued Saturday due to “A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” the NWS said.
Because of the ease with which a fire can spread during this period, outdoor burning of any kind should be avoided. Simple activities such as mowing your lawn, hitting a rock or welding could spark a devastating brush fire.
