California Is Super Hot, on Fire, and Expecting Blackouts

California Is Super Hot, on Fire, and Expecting Blackouts

A Labor Day heat wave is taxing the power grid and emergency services in the state.

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Firefighters coordinate efforts at a burning property while battling the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Firefighters coordinate efforts at a burning property while battling the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Photo: Ethan Swope (AP)

A heat wave scorched states out West during the Labor Day weekend, sparking heat warnings for tens of millions of people. As of Tuesday, the ongoing heat is fueling wildfires and threatening California’s electrical grid, with officials urging residents to reduce their power use in order to head off blackouts.

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Southern California is under an excessive heat warning through Thursday, and temperatures may reach 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 Celsius), according to the National Weather Service. The especially hot weather has worsened already dry conditions in the state, igniting the Fairview Fire on Monday that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate Hemet, California. Schools in that area are closed today, due to the fire and in anticipation of power outages and dangerously high temperatures, the district said in an online statement.

Outages are expected in other parts of Southern California. According to energy officials, the electrical load this afternoon could reach more than 51,000 megawatts, the highest demand California has ever seen, as residents struggle to keep their homes cool, ABC News reported.

Last week, the California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the grid, asked residents to reduce their electricity use from about 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and said households should avoid using larger appliances and charging electric vehicles. The operator also asked Californians to set their thermostats to around 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5. Celsius) in the evenings to avoid further straining the state’s grid. And this week, it’s very likely that the grid will experience “rotating outages unless consumers can reduce their energy use even more than they have so far,” the California Independent System Operator said in a release on Monday.

To help residents without access to air conditioning, the city opened cooling centers around Los Angeles, in nursing homes and libraries. Mutual aid organizations, like Water Drop LA, set up stations to hand out free bottled water to vulnerable residents.

Heat waves like this are becoming more frequent and more intense under climate change. Events like this can easily turn deadly, especially for vulnerable people like the elderly, those dealing with illness, and people without easy access to air conditioning. A heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest last June was declared a mass casualty event, with hundreds of people dying in the U.S. and Canada.

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A burning hill

A burning hill

A hillside burns in the Fairview Fire Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
A hillside burns in the Fairview Fire Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Photo: Ethan Swope (AP)
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Fighting fire

Fighting fire

Ian Fremd, of the Beaumont Fire Department, takes down hot spots while battling the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Ian Fremd, of the Beaumont Fire Department, takes down hot spots while battling the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Photo: Ethan Swope (AP)
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Smoke rising

Smoke rising

People watch a plume of smoke from the Fairview Fire from a distance on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
People watch a plume of smoke from the Fairview Fire from a distance on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Photo: Ethan Swope (AP)
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Quickly spreading fire

Quickly spreading fire

Firefighters stage in front of the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Firefighters stage in front of the Fairview Fire on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Hemet, California.
Photo: Ethan Swope (AP)
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Labor Day heat wave

Labor Day heat wave

A member of the Skid Row community carries away water distributed by volunteers with Water Drop LA on September 4, 2022 as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees in Los Angeles, California.
A member of the Skid Row community carries away water distributed by volunteers with Water Drop LA on September 4, 2022 as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images)
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Water distribution

Water distribution

Volunteers with Water Drop LA prepare to deliver water and other items to members of the Skid Row community on September 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Volunteers with Water Drop LA prepare to deliver water and other items to members of the Skid Row community on September 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images)
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Energy conservation

Energy conservation

Vehicles drive past a sign on the 110 Freeway warning of extreme heat and urging energy conservation during a heat wave in downtown Los Angeles, California on September 2, 2022.
Vehicles drive past a sign on the 110 Freeway warning of extreme heat and urging energy conservation during a heat wave in downtown Los Angeles, California on September 2, 2022.
Photo: Patrick T. FALLON / AFP (Getty Images)
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Congregating at cooling centers

Congregating at cooling centers

People keep active at the the Lafayette Recreation Center cooling center in Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 2022.
People keep active at the the Lafayette Recreation Center cooling center in Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 2022.
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP (Getty Images)
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