In an unprecedented move, PG&E has shut off power to millions of people across Northern California.
Homes and businesses went dark for nearly 1 million customers, affecting approximately 3 million people.
The cuts surpass the scope of any of the previous intentional outages that Pacific Gas & Electric has conducted to reduce the risk of faulty or damaged equipment sparking wildfires.
The outages affect all counties in the Bay Area, except San Francisco. The shutdown is most acute in Marin County were 99% of customers are expected to lose power.
Shoppers rushed to stock up on water, ice, batteries, gasoline and other provisions to last several days.
The strong winds that are hindering firefighters' efforts against the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County are a factor that motivated PG&E to sever power to customers. Gusts have peaked at 90 miles per hour in hills around Healdsburg.
During previous shutdowns, PG&E has said that inspectors found damage to power lines from tree limbs and other debris that potentially could have started fires if the lines had been energized.
Additional cuts are scheduled for later Sunday in Kern, Fresno and Madera counties where 21,000 PG&E customers will lose electricity.
