SAN DIEGO — Even as firefighters continue fighting the Station fire, the largest brush fire in Los Angeles County history, an emotionally charged issue is flaring over how to avoid a repeat of the disastrous 2007 fires in San Diego County.
On Thursday, the Public Utility Commission is set to vote on a San Diego Gas & Electric Co. proposal to turn off power to some back-country areas during fire-prone times of high winds and low humidity.
The fires, which burned more than 200,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,500 homes, were caused by sparking electrical wires blown down by unusually fierce Santa Ana winds. Power company executives say the shut-off plan would be used sparingly and with several hours' notice. The company has offered to buy generators for schools and sent debit cards to low-income elderly residents in case their homes are without power and they need to evacuate.
For people with health problems who could find themselves without power to run breathing machines and other life-saving equipment, the company is offering emergency transportation to hospitals.
Still, back-country residents are famously self-reliant and suspicious of government. Of nearly 1,000 people thought to be eligible for the assistance, only three dozen have signed up.
Seventeen areas, with a total of 60,000 customers, would be on the list to possibly have the power shut down when the National Weather Service issues a red-flag warning. The plan would go into effect when moisture is low and the wind hits a sustained speed of 35 mph or gusts up to 55 mph.
Opponents of the shut-off plan say it would make rural areas more vulnerable to brush fires by leaving water agencies without the power to pump water when it is needed to extinguish small fires before they grow. They accuse the utility of putting a higher priority on limiting future liability than on protecting lives.
The company recently agreed to pay $740 million to insurance companies for property damage done by the Witch, Rice and Guejito fires that roared through the county in October 2007.
The dispute has rekindled anger at the utility company to a level not seen since rate controversies in the early 1980s. It has also displayed anew the complexity of fire politics in San Diego County, and led to recriminations and an unhappy split between the San Diego City Council and the Board of Supervisors.
