California utility says preemptive power shutoffs likely amid wildfire fears

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that it could cut power to about 48,000 customers starting Tuesday night to reduce the risk of wildfires from energized power lines, local news outlets reported. 

Low humidity and dry winds reported in the area are creating a deadly mix of conditions that may further feed the wildfires in the area, including the Dixie Fire, which has become the largest in the state. The conditions prompted PG&E to brace for a possible power cutoff to prevent any more harm. 

The power cut would impact about 16 northern counties in the state. 

A red flag warning for the Dixie area will last through 10 p.m. Tuesday as winds reach up to 35 miles per hour and temperatures hit possible triple-digit heights, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The company reportedly began alerting customers on Sunday through automated messages. 

The Dixie Fire has raged for weeks and has remained out of control since only 31 percent of it has been contained as of Monday, according to the San Fransisco Chronicle. It has reportedly spread to about 579,000 acres and destroyed about 1,170 structures. The blaze currently threatens more than 14,800 other structures. 

Officials are asking residents in the area to evacuate as the record conditions continue to fuel the fire.

“The fire outlook continues to reflect warmer and drier conditions leading to the high potential for severe wildfire activity throughout the [West] through the rest of summer and into the fall,” the National Interagency Fire Center said in a statement on Sunday.