Southern California Edison is considering shutting off power to more than 56,000 customers as forecasters warn that strong winds will raise the risk of wildfire over the weekend.
Already by Friday afternoon, Southern California Edison power lines were being blamed for sparking a small brush fire in Santa Clarita.
The blaze broke out shortly after noon along the southbound 5 Freeway at Calgrove Boulevard when downed wires ignited dry brush, said Marvin Lim, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.Edison spokesman David Eisenhauer said the utility is cooperating with investigators to determine the cause of the fire.
Edison has already warned customers spread over eight counties that their electricity could be turned off in the coming days. The largest concentration of customers who could be affected — over 24,000 — is in Santa Barbara County. The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for the county’s South Coast and mountain regions that remains in effect through Sunday night.There, so-called sundowner winds were expected to combine with low humidity and dry brush to increase the threat of wildfires.
“We are watching the situation closely, and there is the possibility that we may need to wind up issuing a red-flag warning for that area,” Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said Friday afternoon. “But right now, it looks like the humidity will stay high enough that we can hold off on the red-flag warning for now.”
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