For the first time in three years, San Diego Gas & Electric on Wednesday cut off power in selected backcountry areas as a precautionary measure to help avoid the risk of wildfire ignition.
As of 3 p.m., about 700 customers had no electricity after the utility instituted Public Safety Power Shutoffs in areas including Campo, Jacumba, Boulevard and Live Oak Springs. SDG&E estimated the four de-energized circuits won’t be restored until 5 p.m. Friday.
The shutoffs come as blustery Santa Ana winds move through the area, prompting the National Weather Service to issue red flag warnings in parts of San Diego County through as late as 11 a.m. Friday. The red flag warning is also in effect for inland and coastal Orange County.
SDG&E earlier this week issued notifications to 24,700 residents in backcountry and rural areas, warning them of the potential for outages.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs, also known as PSPS, are used by investor-owned utilities in California when high winds and dry conditions elevate the risk of power lines falling and potentially igniting a wildfire.
In addition to the pre-emptive shutoffs, SDG&E’s outage map on Wednesday afternoon showed 929 customers in the University Heights, North Park and Normal Heights neighborhoods had no electricity. As of 3 p.m., the utility said its crews were trying to determine the cause of the outage.
According to data from the SDG&E weather center, gusts of 50 mph were recorded at Buckman Springs in the Cleveland National Forest and winds of more than 42 mph were tracked at Hellhole Canyon, Hauser Mountain and Sill Hill.
Wednesday’s shutoff marked the first time since 2021 that SDG&E has employed PSPS. Lines were de-energized in strategic locations five times in 2018 and 2020 and once in 2021. No shutoffs were instituted in 2022 and 2023, after two consecutive wet winters helped reduce the risk of wildfires in the region.
Rural communities in what is called the High Fire Threat District are particularly affected by pre-emptive power shutoffs because many homes rely on water from wells powered by electricity for their homes, horses and livestock.
A Community Resource Center has been opened in Boulevard so that customers affected by the outage can get water, pick up snacks, charge their electronic devices and receive the most recent information regarding the shutoff. The center is located at 39223 California Route 94 in Boulevard.
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