San Diego County Faces Red Flag Warning, Power Shutoffs Amid Wildfire Risk

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego County is under a Red Flag Warning from early Wednesday morning through Thursday, as the National Weather Service (NWS) warns of heightened wildfire risks due to strong winds and dry conditions. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that over 65,000 customers could face power shutoffs to mitigate the danger.

SDG&E has been monitoring the weather for the past week, with officials stating that this week marks the driest start to the rainy season in 174 years. Brian D’Agostino, Vice President of Wildfire and Climate Science for SDG&E, described the situation as unprecedented. “This is the first extreme fire potential we’ve ever seen in January, and it’s multiple extreme days back-to-back,” he said.

The utility company emphasized that the current wind event is more prolonged than the one in December, which also triggered power shutoffs. “We have a fire potential index that has extreme days. This is the first extreme we’ve ever seen in January. And not only that, it’s multiple extreme days back-to-back,” D’Agostino added.

Residents in the north and east counties, areas historically prone to wildfires, are no strangers to power shutoffs. However, some have questioned why underground power lines are affected. SDG&E explained that these lines may still be connected to above-ground lines at risk from high winds. “Our engineering teams are trying to find any instances where we can reroute power to minimize the impact,” a spokesperson said.

Cal Fire San Diego has also raised concerns about the dry conditions. Captain Mike Cornette noted that fuel moisture levels in the foothills are critically low. “Typically, our strongest Santa Anas are this time of year, but it’s particularly more dangerous this time around because we don’t have the rain we usually see in November and December,” he said. Cal Fire has brought in additional strike teams from Northern California to bolster firefighting efforts.

Residents are urged to prepare for potential evacuations, as fires could spread rapidly under these conditions. “If there is a fire, be ready to get out if you’re close by because it could grow very fast,” Captain Cornette warned.