High Winds Kick Up Riverside Brusher, While Area Residents Also Deal With Preventative Power Shutoffs
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) - A brush fire in Arlanza that started several days ago and was 90% contained reignited Wednesday night as a result of high winds, causing flames to cross containment lines and burn in mulch, according to authorities.
The fire is sending massive plumes of smoke into homes on Valley Drive, in Riverside. Fire crews said they were worried about embers in the neighborhood.
Earlier, firefighters were going to evacuate a street in the area, but now tell CBSLA that the flames are currently under control.
However, area residents are also dealing with preventative power shutoffs by SoCal Edison, which is trying to prevent the spread of any additional fires.
So far on Wednesday night, the utility company has cut power to some 13,000 customers in LA, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, with warning that there might be more to come.
A Jurupa Valley neighborhood has had their power shutoff since 1 p.m. this afternoon, the exact time when one family was doing their best to cook an early Thanksgiving dinner.
According to Dennis Wellborn and his daughter, Whitney, the turkey had been in the oven for two hours when the power went out.
"I don't think it's fair because we're not a risk for that, here in this particular area," said Dennis, who added that he had pull the generator out and stretch cords from the backyard through the house in order to restore power and save their early Thanksgiving dinner.
A Rialto resident, Shawn Winterbourne, said he feels that the power shutoffs are not equitable.
"It's not fair, the people that can't provide that extra power, that don't have that generator and everything else," he said.
SoCal Edison said they are considering these types of power shutoffs for 170,000 households across Southern California.