Thousands face power shutoffs amid Santa Ana winds, red flag warning in Southern California

More than 10,000 Southern California Edison customers faced power shutoffs Friday as strong winds, dry conditions and warmer temperatures brought increased wildfire risks with a red flag warning issued.

Strong gusty winds were forecasted in the Inland Empire, and nearly 120,000 of the utility's customers in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties were warned that power could be shut off for public safety. A red flag warning is in effect for parts of SoCal from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, while a wind advisory will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday.  

"I panicked because I thought about the food and everything in the house," said Yvonne Jones, one of the thousands of Inland Empire residents facing a warning about possible shutoffs. "Worst case scenario, I would have probably ran to Costco, got some ice real quick and then put what I could in the ice chest."

Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison, said the utility turns off the power for some homes when weather conditions bring heightened wildfire risks.

"So we're looking at extremely localized conditions to determine whether there's a risk of a fire should debris blow into a powerline and cause a spark," Monford said, explaining that it takes time to turn the electricity back on. "All the lines have to be visually inspected in person before we know that it's safe to restore the power."

Around 4 p.m., over 10,100 SoCal Edison customers in LA, Riverside and San Bernardino counties were facing shutoffs.

Gusts between 30 and 40 mph are possible in windier areas. For possibly up to six hours in the afternoon, a few areas will have combined sustained (northerly) winds of 25 mph and gusts of 35-plus when humidity will be less than 15%, according to the National Weather Service.

"Especially given the dry (vegetation), there will be elevated to critical fire weather conditions, from the San Bernardino Mountains southwest through the Inland Empire and to the Santa Ana Mountains," the NWS stated.

Other areas that may face an SCE power shutoff include Los Angeles County, 20,883 customers; San Bernardino County, 48,964; Riverside County, 27,762; Orange County, 7,785 customers and Ventura County, 14,090 customers.