A power shutoff Tuesday in Santa Barbara County is affecting more than 2,000 Southern California Edison.
The public safety power shutoff is due to the heightened wildfire risk in the area from high winds, humidity and dry vegetation, said David Eisenhauer, spokesperson for Southern California Edison.
The shutoffs start in Carpinteria and go up through Gaviota.
Customers were notified of the shutoffs a few days in advance, Eisenhauer said. The power company looks for dry weather conditions that could cause wildfires from fallen power lines throughout the county.
“We look ahead a few days, and if our forecast looks like the criteria is going to be met we notify customers in advance,” Eisenhauer said.
The power company is also considering shutting power off for an additional 1,000 customers in the county.
Customers affected by the power shutoffs can go to the Residence Inn in Goleta or the Veteran Memorial Building in Carpinteria to use the lobbies and meet Southern California Edison representatives for resource kits during this time.
Maintenance is estimated to take around eight hours after areas in the county are cleared from fire danger, Eisenhauer said.
“Customers should check and make sure they are signed up for outage alerts,” Eisenhauer said.
