Bloomberg - PG&E Corp. said it is planning to cut power to some customers in parts of Northern California as soon as early Monday to stop its live wires from sparking wildfires during gusty winds.
The California utility giant said it would likely turn off electricity to about 7,100 homes and business in ten counties, including areas of Napa County and hills west of Sacramento, according to a post on PG&E s website.
The National Weather Service issued a major red flag warning for parts of Northern California through Tuesday. That means that low temperatures, very high humidity and strong winds are expected to cause increased fire danger risk.
Wildfires have ravaged Western U.S. this summer amid a severe drought that leaves forests and hillsides bone dry. A fast-moving fire that started in the hills east of Sacramento forced residents of the resort town of South Lake Tahoe to evacuate before Labor Day weekend. That blaze, called Caldor Fire, has been largely contained.
See also: Wildfire Risk Prompts West U.S. utilities to Warn of Power Cuts, Texas and Montana.
Another blaze burning in California is threatening a famous grove of giant sequoias in the wild. Firefighters wrapped the base of the General Sherman Tree, the world s largest by volume, along with other massive trees in the park with protective aluminum sheets as a precaution.