SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY – Thousands of customers of Southern California Edison (SCE) across San Bernardino County were warned on October 27 that a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is planned for Tuesday amid worsening wildfire risks.

The utility company announced that the outage could begin at midnight and run through 6 p.m. on October 28 across mountain and high-fire-risk communities including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, and Devore.

Power shutoffs are being considered for 31,506 customers in San Bernardino County, 1,648 in Riverside County, and 7,093 in Los Angeles County.

“Be prepared for a PSPS during this time, although we may avoid shutoffs,” the message said.

Have an emergency plan

A PSPS occurs when SCE temporarily shuts off power to reduce wildfire risk from utility equipment during dangerous fire weather conditions such as strong winds, dry vegetation, and low humidity.

SCE said losing power for any amount of time is a hardship. 

“While it’s frustrating and inconvenient, safety must come first. Our mission is to keep the power on when it is safe to do so,” SCE said on its website.

SCE recommends having an emergency plan to keep families safe during any outage. 

That includes keeping track of the location of emergency items such as water bottles, a battery-operated radio, flashlights, first aid kits, extra blankets, and working batteries.

Most of the Inland Empire is under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. Tuesday to 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Get alerts

SCE said alerts are available for everyone. 

Before a potential PSPS, they’ll send notifications via email, text or phone message. 

Sign up or update your contact information for PSPS alerts in English or other available languages at https://www.sce.com/outages-safety/outage-center/get-alerts