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PG&E Plans To Have 70 Percent Of Power Back By Midnight After Shutting Down For High Winds

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — PG&E is planning to have power restored to 70 percent of people by midnight on Monday night after it shut off power due to high winds.

The company described the cause of the outage as a "recent weather event," but it planned power outage with the threat of gusty winds on Sunday night. The outage is part of PG&E's plan to reduce the risk of wildfires.

RELATED: Gov. Brown Signs Law Allowing Utilities To Charge Ratepayers For Costs Related To 2017 Wildfires

In this case, about 60,000 people were left without power starting on Sunday night and stretching into Monday, forcing the closure of schools in El Dorado County.

PG&E says the cause for the delay is checking for damage to lines that may have been caused by the winds. There's no word on whether any damage has been found.

Radio station KFBK, which operates its FM station in Pollock Pines, wasn't able to broadcast on 93.1 FM

PG&E made the move just over a year after devastating wildfires ripped through Santa Clara. While the cause has yet to be determined, many wildfires have been tied to PG&E by Cal Fire and state officials. State law places the liability on PG&E for fires caused by the utility's equipment, and the potential losses have the company rattled.

California lawmakers gave PG&E some relief, opening the door for PG&E to shift some of the cost of the wildfires to consumers.

The exact cost is unknown, but one lawmaker estimated it could add an estimated $5.20 annually to ratepayer bills for every $1 billion PG&E must finance.

The total damage from those wildfires is estimated at $10 billion.

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