Reuters · October 14, 2026

Southern California Edison Says Power Shutoffs Are Under Consideration for Up to 245,700 Customers

• Southern California Edison said it could shut off power for up to 245,700 customers in parts of Southern California to reduce wildfire risk, according to the report, which said that is the largest number under consideration for a potential public safety outage this year.
• The utility said on Wednesday that strong winds and dry conditions in portions of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern and Tulare counties could increase wildfire risk between Wednesday and Friday.
• The utility said it has not yet decided whether to implement shutoffs and that the decision would be based on real-time weather and wildfire conditions.
• The utility said it monitors wind speeds, vegetation dryness and relative humidity, using about 2,000 weather stations, 200 wildfire cameras and ground patrols in high fire-risk areas.
• If shutoffs are implemented, crews will inspect power lines and equipment before restoring service, a process the utility said typically takes up to eight hours and could take longer if damage is found or additional inspections are required.
• The utility said its wildfire mitigation efforts include undergrounding power lines and installing covered conductors.
• Spokesperson David Eisenhauer told Reuters the utility has a responsibility to keep the community safe from wildfires and that public safety power shutoffs reduce the risk that equipment could start an ignition during extreme weather, according to the report.

Shutoff figures, counties, monitoring methods and restoration timing as stated by Southern California Edison and reported by Reuters. Original headline: "Southern California Edison warns of potential wildfire-related power shutoffs".