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Southern California Edison, the region’s power provider, has issued public safety power shutoff warnings in areas of Carpinteria, Summerland ,and Montecito ahead of dangerous fire conditions. Santa Barbara’s mountainous areas will go under red flag warning around 10 p.m. Monday until noon on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Red flag warnings are issued in events of extreme fire risk.
As of Monday at 2 p.m., 2,417 residences are at risk of losing power, including homes in Rincon and Shepards, along highways 192 and 150, and near Toro Canyon.
Edison issues public safety power shutoffs ahead of dangerous weather conditions, like gusty winds, to avoid any sparks from the electric grid starting wildfire. The company states that they are monitoring weather conditions through Thursday, and that while they try to notify customers if they are going to shut off power, they are sometimes not able to do so in time if the weather conditions change too quickly.
Edison is facing a lawsuit over faulty equipment which may have started the Eaton Fire, which is currently burning in the Los Angeles area.
You can find a complete map of areas with possible shutoffs here.
