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Thousands of SoCal Edison customers without power amid heightened fire danger

By Mary Stringini
Updated  December 8, 2020 7:05am PST
Severe Weather
FOX 11

Power outages in Simi Valley

Winds are blowing hard in some local communities. So hard, that SoCal Edison decided to cut power to help prevent wildfires.

LOS ANGELES - More than 59,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power Tuesday morning amid heightened fire danger as strong Santa Ana winds swept across Southern California.

In Los Angeles, winds are expected to continue through Tuesday evening. The winds were expected to be their strongest Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, with gusts up to 55 mph for the coastal and valley areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

By 7 a.m. Tuesday, 59,658 customers in Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties had their power shut off, according to SoCal Edison's website.

SoCal Edison said it was considering shutting off power for an additional 146,000 customers on Monday or Tuesday in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern Counties.

Firefighters in Orange County had contained about half of a wildfire on Sunday that has destroyed 28 structures while threatening thousands of homes. Fire officials on Sunday said evacuation orders for the Bond Fire in eastern Orange County were being reduced to warnings, allowing all residents to return to their homes.

RELATED: Bond Fire that sparked in Silverado Canyon destroys over 28 structures in Orange County

But they warned that strong winds were forecast for the coming days and urged residents not to wait for authorities to tell them to evacuate if they feel they should leave.

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A red flag warning is in effect from 4 a.m. Monday through 10 p.m. Tuesday for much of Los Angeles County and Ventura County, according to the National Weather Service.  

RELATED: Red flag warning in effect for Southern California

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are likely to occur due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Severe WeatherConsumerLos Angeles CountyOrange CountyRiverside CountySan Bernardino CountyVentura County