People in more than 180,000 homes and businesses in California could find themselves in the dark as Pacific Gas & Electric again plans to shut off power in parts of 17 counties for up to two days, as a preventive measure against wildfires, Reuters reported. The company said it was tracking a “dry, offshore wind event” that might impact its service area on Wednesday and Thursday and needed to turn off the electricity as a safety measure. Hot, dry winds from California’s mountains, called the Santa Ana winds, are expected to pack a 40 mph punch, with gusts up to 60 mph, starting late today, the National Weather Service said. The company cut off electricity to more than 730,000 homes and workplaces in northern California earlier this month to try to reduce wildfire risks posed by extremely windy and dry weather. The bankrupt Californian power producer said it had crews, equipment, vehicles and aircraft on standby to conduct the shutoffs and subsequent inspections, repairs and power restoration.
