California Blackouts Begin for 5,400 Customers on Fire Threats

(Bloomberg) -- California utility giant PG&E Corp. started cutting power supplies to reduce the chances of the company’s equipment igniting wildfires amid gusty winds and dry conditions.

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PG&E said it switched off electricity to 5,450 homes and businesses located in four counties north of Sacramento, according to a statement. The utility said about 20,000 customers located in 24 counties, including several in the San Francisco Bay Area, could also lose power from the intentional shutoffs.

Southern California Edison, the main utility in southern part of the state, said it is considering public safety power shutoffs for about 127,000 homes and business in the Los Angeles region.

Dry winds started to sweep across California on Thursday, warming up and drying out as they roll over the mountains on their way to the coast. The conditions raise the risk for any wildfires that can start to rage out of control. The National Weather Service has raised red flag fire warnings in valleys from near Sacramento to San Francisco’s Bay Area and into the state’s wine country. Those warnings have been extended into Southern California as Santa Ana winds develop in the region.

--With assistance from Brian K. Sullivan.

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