Californians experience power cut as fire risk spreads south

More than a million people staying in California were without electricity due to extensive power outages which resulted in instances of fires breaking out as the hostile weather conditions spread towards the southern part of California. In addition to this, about 6 lakh people living in the northern part of California left to fend for themselves in conditions without any light as Pacific Gas & Electric started cutting off the power supply in order to prevent any mishap that could lead to human casualties.

California at risk of long power outages

Cutting off the power supply in different parts of California gave a considerable amount of time to companies to analyze if any of the power lines had sustained damage in the dry and hot weather caused due to high winds. 

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Red-flag winds (forecast reports that are given to the firefighting establishments that current conditions are apt for starting wildfires along with a rapid spread to other lands) spreading to the far southern region of Los Angeles led to more than 10,000 people experience long power outages due to South California Edison cutting power supply. Another company stated that worsening conditions could lead to more than 30,000 people being threatened by having no power supply.

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A "hostile" environment

Authorities stated that planes and helicopters were brought in to handle a fire east of Los Angeles that had still not been contained. A few instances of wildfire were accounted for, deep in the northern region but met with a quick response from people belonging to the fire department.

With schools and colleges experiencing a shutdown, people have been stockpiling fuel, water, batteries and other basic necessities with visible frustration being seen among people finding themselves in a "hostile" environment.

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PG&E's defective electrical cables blamed

PG&E's defective electrical cables were blamed to have started the deadliest fire in the state's history, which claimed the lives of 86 people and completely destroyed a small town.

Old technologies and the inability to clear out the land in the vicinity of high-voltage transmission lines were blamed for the incident, causing PG&E to file for bankruptcy with the expense of cutting power supplies going up to $2.6 billion.

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(With inputs from agencies)