With conditions ripe for a wildfire, San Diego Gas & Electric warned that as many as 30,000 customers could have their power shut off this week.
As it turns out, only 395 customers ended up losing their power. The shutoff started late Thursday and continued into Friday evening.
All power was restored to customers around 6 p.m. according to SDG&E.
The southeastern San Diego county communities of Boulevard and Live Oak Springs were hit hardest by the outages. Owners of two markets in Live Oak Springs said their food was spoiling and they stood to lose thousands of dollars.
Sam Matthe, who owns the Live Oak Springs Market, estimated his losses at around $30,000.
"We can’t sell nothing — we have no power," he said.
Mathew Nissuo who owns a market and restaurant nearby also had his power shut off Thursday. He said he's on the hook for "almost $12,000" in perishable foods.
"Plus the [lost] business today and yesterday," he said.
SDG&E has a team of forecasters that chose the specific areas because they are at the highest risk for fire. The utility said the area’s power should be back on by around 7 p.m. If that happens the owners said they should be able to save some food. Any longer and they would be in serious trouble.
SDG&E said businesses are able to file claims for damages due to the power shut off.
