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SoCal Edison warns customers to prepare for more power shut offs this year
Power companies cut electricity to some customers when there's a concern that their equipment could spark a fire, a practice known as a public safety power shutoff.
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Ethan Swope
/
Associated Press
)
Prepare for more power shutoffs when it’s hot and windy this year. That’s the message coming from Southern California Edison, the utility that serves an estimated 15 million people across the region.
The shutoffs are triggered by a combination of factors, including strong winds, dry vegetation and low humidity. The more widespread the extreme weather conditions, the more likely the power is to be cut, which means more people are likely to be affected.
“For 2025, we have increased the sensitivity of some of our settings, and it does have the potential to increase the frequency of [public safety power shutoff] events across our system,” said Thomas Brady, principal manager at Edison.
Brady explained that Edison lowered the threshold on its so-called fire potential index, a proxy for how receptive fuels are to fire spread.
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In 2024, Edison shut down power 20 times across its territory, according to reports filed with the California Public Utilities Commission. More than 137,000 people lost power for an average of about a day and a half between August and December. Ventura, Riverside and Los Angeles counties saw the most customers affected.
More than 85% of 2024’s shutoffs were during red flag warnings. And when wind gusts averaged 51 mph and relative humidity was an extremely low 9%.
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Edison has already conducted three shutoffs in 2025, and widespread dry conditions across the region mean fire season has already begun.
Power lines owned by Edison have caused deadly and destructive fires in California in recent years, including the Thomas and Woolsey fires. Investigations into whether their lines started the Eaton and Hurst fires in January are ongoing.
In addition to cutting the power, Edison says it’s working to prevent fires by burying 260 miles of power lines, and by installing 440 miles of covered conductors, intended to stop powerlines from sparking if they come into contact with trees and wind blown debris.
Want to know if you’re in or near an area that’s at high risk of a utility caused fire? There’s a map for that from the state Public Utilities Commission.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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