San Francisco — Southern California utilities could cut power to nearly 225,000 homes and businesses on Christmas Eve as a possible wind storm raises wildfire risks from the Central Valley to the Mexican border.

The blackouts, which have nearly doubled in scope since Monday, could affect more than 670,000 people based on the size of the average household. California utilities have increasingly resorted to switching off power lines in advance of high winds rather than risk live wires falling into dry brush and sparking fires...

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