San Diego Gas and Electric is taking the blame for the more than 100 fires reportedly caused by electrical problems with their equipment.
The company said that in the past five and a half years, 167 fires have been caused by their equipment.
That includes the Witch creek, Guejito and Rico Canyon fires in October 2007.
In response to this, SDG&E issued a report to the California Public Utilities Commission proposing a controversial new safety plan, shut off electricity to rural areas when fire danger is high.
Those opposed to this suggested plan of shutting off power could exceed the benefits because water, cable, internet and phone service would be cut off.
"We are making an effort to be prudent and plan for what we can do to make sure out equipment is eliminated as a potential fire ignition source," said SDG&E spokesperson Stephanie Donovan.
Donovan also says the outage would effect up to 150,000 people at a time.
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"You could lose your home. If that's the alternative, a little inconvenience for half a day or a day, that's not an issue to us," said Rancho Bernardo resident Jeff Smith.
But others, like his neighbor who also lost her home in the wildfires, disagree.
"I don't see how that is going to prevent anything they need to make sure that their transformers are really secure and all their equipment is working. I don't think a power outage is going to prevent a wildfire," said Lisa Winston.
The Public Utilities Commission will hold two hearings in April to hear public comments about the shut-off plan. The first will be April 7th at the Alpine Community Center and the second will be held April 8th at Harrah's Rincon Resort and Casino.
A final decision on the safety plan is expected to be made in August before the start of fire season.
