Hundreds Without Power, 23K More Under Power Safety Warning In San Diego County

As of Thursday morning, about 1,250 customers in the Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Jamul, Potrero and Viejas Reservation areas were without power in an effort to mitigate fire risk due to elevated fire weather conditions, according to SDG&E.

The utility company this week made calls and sent emails and text messages to thousands of customers in the backcountry who may be affected by the shutoffs. More than 23,000 additional customers could be affected by the outages, according to SDG&E. See an up-to-date list of impacted communities at sdge.com/ready .

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for inland and coastal Orange County and San Diego County valleys and mountains through Friday morning. Gusty Santa Ana winds were expected to last until Thursday evening.

Customers who were notified should be prepared to be without power through Friday, according to SDG&E.

Before power can be restored, extreme weather conditions must pass, allowing crews to inspect power lines and equipment to ensure their safe operation, and if needed, repair damage, according to SDG&E. Inspections of those lines can only be completed during daylight hours.

Officials warned that customers should never approach damaged infrastructure or downed power lines. Report downed lines by calling 911 or SGD&E's call center at 800-411-7343.