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PG&E May Shut Off Power To Nearly 100,000 Customers Over Fire Concerns

Affected area includes several San Francisco Bay area counties.

PG&E May Shut Off Power To Nearly 100,000 Customers Over Fire Concerns
Noah Berger / AP
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Electrical power could be shut off for 100,000 Californians starting early Sunday morning due to elevated fire danger.

On Thursday, Pacific Gas & Electric — the nation's largest utility provider — said only three counties would be impacted, but by Friday the estimate grew five-fold. The affected area includes several San Francisco Bay Area counties.

This weekend is expected to bring record-breaking heat and high winds, so officials are worried about electrical equipment sparking wildfires. Power would likely stay off until late Monday.

Firefighters are already battling dozens of wildfires across the state. The dry and windy conditions could spread these fires.

PG&E says it's monitoring the weather and attempting to give affected customers a day's notice. It recommends customers make sure their phone numbers and email are up to date with the utility to make sure they are notified. Customers can also look up their address on PG&E's website to see if they will be impacted.