Powerful images from the Los Angeles wildfires
See some of the most powerful images taken by journalists on the front lines of the Los Angeles wildfires.
SATURDAY UPDATE: As of 8:30 a.m. Saturday, 7,023 Ventura County customers remained without power due to public safety power shutoffs, according to Edison. More than 59,000 others were being considered for shutoffs.
FRIDAY UPDATE: As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, more than 10,000 Ventura County customers remained without power due to a public safety power shutoff, Edison’s site showed. Another 66,800 county customers were on circuits being considered for shutoff.
On Thursday night, Supervisor Jeff Gorell sent out a community update concerning the ongoing outages. “Many residents, myself included, have been without power for more than three days,” Gorell wrote, saying he had reached out to Edison urging them to expedite power restoration efforts in Ventura County. “Unfortunately, their response has been slower than we hoped,” the supervisor wrote.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Thousands of Ventura County remained without power Thursday evening as Southern California Edison continued outages to reduce risks of further fires, according to a spokesperson.
As of 7 p.m. more than 37,000 residents from Newbury Park, Santa Paula and Simi Valley, among others, had no energy to their home. Outages, which began Tuesday across Southern California as Santa Ana winds picked up and fires broke out, could last several days, spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas said Thursday.
In an email Thursday afternoon to customers affected by the outages, Southern California Edison said winds had died down.
But the utility company said it could take eight hours or more to complete its infrastructure inspections. The outages could last longer if crews need daylight to complete the inspections, according to the email.
Southern California Edison has to clear its power lines and transformers of fallen tree branches and other debris, Ornelas said.
“We are working to restore service as safely as possible,” she said.
Areas with outages included large portions of Simi Valley. On Wednesday night, for example, the area north of Cochran Street was well lit and a large area south of Cochran was pitch black. Simi Valley residents took questions to social media about the outages.
“Any word on when power will be back on? Going on day two,” one resident posted on the Simi Valley portion of the Next Door platform.
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Some complaints centered on different times for restoration of power. Contradictions shouldn’t happen in the company’s emails, said Ornelas, who added she would talk to Southern California Edison staff about that.
Some people affected by outages dealt with a lack of heat and the possibility of spoiled food and some medication that requires refrigeration.
“We understand it can be a hardship to be without power,” Ornelas said.
She added that Southern California Edison operates community resource centers. The centers distribute snacks, bottled water and “resiliency kits.” They also provide charging stations for phones and medical equipment.
For a list of centers, see www.sce.com/outage-center and click on “Ventura County.” To check on an outage status, go to sce.com/outage-center/check-outage-status.
Tips for outages
Southern California Edison offers tips to deal with an outage. Ornelas, the spokesperson, said they include:
- Be sure to keep bottled water in your home.
- Don’t use stoves and ovens as a heating source.
- Use flashlights, not candles, which can create a fire.
- Keep your vehicle’s gas tank half full, at a minimum. Gas pumps require electricity.
In an email, the city of Santa Paula offered these additional tips:
- Keep freezers and refrigerators closed to maintain cold temperatures.
- Use generators only outdoors and away from windows.
- Disconnect appliances and electronics to prevent damage from surges.
- Have alternate plans, such as a cooler and ice, for perishables and medications.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.
