SoCal Edison Extends Power Shutoffs as Fire Risk Warnings Grow Along California Coast
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – As of Tuesday morning, Some areas along the Central and South Coast have had their power shutoff warnings extended due to continued fire risk conditions, now expected to last through June 20 or 21. A current map on SoCal Edison’s website shows areas in black where power is already shut off, and orange zones under consideration for future shutoffs. One of the affected high-risk areas is San Marcos Pass, where many residents remain without power. Edison crews are actively stationed in neighborhoods, providing emergency kits and resources.
(ORIGINAL POST) The potential for weather conditions strong enough to bring down power lines into dry brush has residents on alert. Warnings were issued earlier this week by Southern California Edison, and some areas have already experienced power shutoffs.
Edison’s proactive steps include alerts for Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) areas, which are designated on a map posted online. The map shows neighborhoods where power could be cut and areas where it already has been.
Currently, some of the impacted areas include the western Gaviota Coast and lower San Marcos Pass.
Warnings have also been issued in locations not typically on the power alert list, including parts of Santa Barbara’s Westside, Lower Eastside, Upper State Street, and areas near Hendry’s Beach outside Hope Ranch.
So far, the weather through Tuesday morning in the warning zones has not brought region-wide high winds. A shifting weather pattern is bringing above-normal heat early in the week, followed by cooler but still pleasant temperatures later in the week.
Even without extreme heat, a strong wind gust and a broken, energized power line could ignite a wildfire. The Central Coast has already seen several small fire starts in recent weeks, although not all causes have been identified.
Edison has set up two community support locations — at the Louise Lowry Davis Center in Santa Barbara and the Residence Inn in the Goleta Valley — where residents can access emergency assistance. Available items include phone charging stations, solar lights, and basic emergency supplies.
Andrea Carnaghe, a local resident, held up a supply bag and said, “It has hand sanitizer and towelettes, things like that.” She also showed the solar-powered light included in the kit: “So in case of an emergency when the power goes out, you have a solar-powered light.”
In the upper Goleta Valley, some residents are more prepared. One homeowner, Steven Kreiner, has solar panels and Tesla batteries. “I have neighbors who can come over and stay nice and cool with our AC running,” he said.
Kreiner said they know when power has been shut off in their neighborhood off upper Patterson Avenue: “We know when it’s nighttime and only our lights are on, or from the notifications we get from the Office of Santa Barbara County.”
Homeowners in the area are collaborating to improve wildfire resiliency and are working toward becoming a Firewise Community, which could potentially reduce insurance costs.
Kreiner added, “The downside of not doing rolling outages is that the repair time — with people being down without notice — is much worse, especially if there’s a fire. Crews get overtaxed, and resources become stretched.”
Some areas, including the Painted Cave community, have been without power for more than 30 hours.
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