San Diego Fires Causing Officials To Worry Over Power Outages And Home Damage

Officials in San Diego are fearing the worst as the fire that began on Saturday continues to rage on through Sunday with no end in sight.

Fox 5 San Diego reported that officials believe the blaze that destroyed homes in the Japatul Valley area near Alpine has spread across 4,000 acres.

Officials fear that the wildfire, which has remained zero percent contained, could cause a massive power outage. The blazes have already affected 1,288 San Diego Gas & Electric customers in the area who were without power on Sunday morning and threaten to do further damage.

Sunrise Power 500 KV power lines, which supply electricity for a large portion of San Diego County, is expected to get hit by the flames if firefighters can’t contain the blaze.

“Firefighters are working against extreme fire behavior with wind-driven runs and long-range spotting,” the agency said in a statement.

On Saturday, the California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert through Monday.

According to Flexalert.org, the warning is “typically issued in the summer when extremely hot weather pushes up energy demand as it reaches available capacity. This usually happens in the evening hours when solar generation is going offline and consumers are returning home and switching on air conditioners, lights, and appliances.”

Since the fire began, 10 structures have been destroyed, and buildings in Deer Valley, Wood Valley, Lyons Valley, Sycuan Indian Reservation, and other areas remain in danger.

For the latest information on evacuations and other wildfire updates, residents can check the official social media accounts of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.