Business
PG&E Plans to Plunge 2.8 Million Californians Into Darkness
- Much of San Francisco Bay Area will go dark to prevent fires
- Outage may last two days as high winds move through the region
The Kincade Fire burns near a vineyard in Geyserville, California.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North AmericaThis article is for subscribers only.
PG&E Corp. will cut power to an estimated 2.8 million Californians starting Saturday in the state’s largest -- and potentially longest -- deliberate blackout ever.
The bankrupt utility giant will turn off the lights to about 940,000 homes and businesses across Northern California -- including parts of Oakland, Berkeley and other San Francisco Bay Area cities -- as it tries to keep power lines from igniting wildfires during the strongest wind storm in years. The shutoff will hit about 7% of California’s population and spread to almost a fifth of the utility’s total customers, spanning 36 counties. San Francisco is expected to be spared.