More than 50,000 without power in Los Angeles, more at risk of losing power amid strong winds

As high winds continue to sweep through the area, Southern California Edison initiated public safety power shutoffs in Los Angeles County for over 52,000 customers and was considering shutoffs for another 59,000 as of 12:20 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.

The utility company also did public safety power shutoffs on Thursday. The shutoffs are initiated to help prevent equipment from causing wildfires and are typically driven by low humidity and high wind conditions, according to Southern California Edison.

Central and western Malibu were affected by the shutoffs, the city said. A 146-acre fire broke out in Malibu on Thursday, reaching 17% containment, the percentage of the fire’s perimeter not expected to grow, by Friday morning.

There were no public safety power shutoffs or considerations of shutoffs by Southern California Edison reported in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Friday afternoon.

In the Los Angeles Department of Water Power’s service area, two outages were reported, one in the Granada Hills area that was affecting about 900 customers and another in the Sylmar area, where around 300 LADWP customers were without electricity.

“The system is actually holding up well despite the high winds,” said LADWP spokeswoman Mia Rose-Wong, who explained that the utility does not participate in public safety power shut-offs. “If a circuit relays or locks-out, we would send someone to patrol the electric line to ensure it is safe to reenergize the circuit.”

The LADWP also works closely with the Los Angeles Fire Department to proactively de-energize any lines at firefighters’ request, she said.

City News Service contributed to this report.