PG&E Voluntarily Shuts off Power in Northern and Central California 513,000 Pacific Gas & Electric
customers were without power
as of Wednesday morning. Second and third phases will cut
off power to nearly 300,000
additional customers. The utility giant gave warning to 34 counties
about the shut off to reduce potential danger
caused by a "widespread, severe wind event." PG&E’s transmission lines have been tied
to devastating wildfires, and the company
has been criticized for safety failures. The outage could last up to
5 days or more in certain areas.