By Joseph SernaStaff Writer
Oct. 8, 2019
5 AM

In what could be the biggest implementation yet of California’s strategy of shutting off power to prevent wildfires, the state’s largest utility announced Monday that blackouts were possible later this week in a large swath of the Bay Area and Northern California.

Citing the potential for extremely dry air and steady winds of up to 30 mph, with gusts that experts said could be twice as strong, Pacific Gas & Electric announced it was considering a public safety power shut-off for 29 counties between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon.

Several years of devastating wildfires sparked by downed power lines have prompted utilities to shut down power during hot, dry and windy conditions, a policy that has caused controversy.