Just as a heat wave is expected to hit San Diego County starting Friday through to Oct. 8, San Diego Gas & Electric this week began notifying customers throughout the county of possible public safety power shutoffs in the next few days.

Extreme heat increases energy demand on the grid and the risk of wildfires.

The power shutoffs may occur from Oct. 2 at 5 a.m. through Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. potentially impacting 35,006 customers, SDG&E said.

SDG&E lists the following communities that may be impacted:

Alpine

Boulevard

Campo

Descanso

El Cajon

Fallbrook

Jamul

Julian

Lakeside

Pala

Pauma Valley

Pine Valley

Poway

Ramona

Ranchita

Santa Ysabel

Valley Center

Warner Springs

An SDG&E map shows yellow spots as areas where public safety power shutoffs may take place between Oct. 2 and Oct. 5, 2026. (SDG&E)

The following are potential tribal communities that may be impacted:

Barona Reservation

Campo Reservation

Cuyapaipe Reservation

Jamul Indian Village

La Jolla Reservation

La Posta Reservation

Los Coyotes Reservation

Manzanita Reservation

Mesa Grande Reservation

Pala Reservation

Pauma and Yuima Reservation

Rincon Reservation

San Pasqual Reservation

Santa Ysabel Reservation

Sycuan Reservation

Viejas Reservation

For more information on preparing for a public safety power shutoff, read SDG&E’s tips here.

Meteorologist Greg Bledsoe gives his evening weather forecast for the night.

Power shutoffs’ impact on the Ramona community

Outside Ramona Family Naturals Market, community members were gathering on Thursday to enjoy music in the patio before the extreme heat arrives and with it, the possibility of public safety power shutoffs. Some Ramona business owners are concerned ahead of the possible power shutoffs.

Victoria Bradley is the owner of the market located in the Old Town Corridor in Ramona.

“When the power shuts down, all the refrigeration shutdown, lights go off, and we have to get everybody out of the store,” Bradley said.

Bradley is already well acquainted with the public safety power shutoffs and the inconvenience they can cause.

“Most of the things in this refrigerator went into the dumpster last year,” she said.

Last year, she lost about $25,000 in frozen goods during a power shutoff. Since then, any time there’s a threat of a possible public safety power shutoff, she rents a generator. She’s also rented a truck to keep her frozen goods from spoiling.

“It’s a nightmare, and I can’t sell anything because it’s sitting in the back in the truck, so nobody can come and buy what they need,” she said.

Bradley is one of the SDG&E customers who received a letter notifying her about a possible power shutoff impacting her market. However, when she checks the SDG&E app and types her business address, it shows it will not be impacted.

“I would like to know specifically if the businesses are going to be exempt like they used to be,” she said.

NBC 7 reached out to SDG&E on Thursday. The company provided the following statement:

“SDG&E is closely monitoring a prolonged period of extreme heat, increased energy demand and elevated wildfire risk expected to begin Friday and continue into next week. We know these conditions can be challenging for customers, and our focus is on keeping communities safe, informed and prepared. Our teams are monitoring conditions around the clock and have positioned crews and resources across the region to respond as needed. Customers in high fire-risk areas who could be affected by a Public Safety Power Shutoff have been notified in advance, and we encourage everyone to take steps now to prepare for potential outages and extreme temperatures.”