PG&E Voluntarily Shuts off Power in Northern and Central California 513,000 Pacific Gas & Electric <br />customers were without power <br />as of Wednesday morning. Second and third phases will cut <br />off power to nearly 300,000 <br />additional customers. The utility giant gave warning to 34 counties <br />about the shut off to reduce potential danger <br />caused by a "widespread, severe wind event." PG&E’s transmission lines have been tied <br />to devastating wildfires, and the company <br />has been criticized for safety failures. The outage could last up to <br />5 days or more in certain areas.
