Twelve days after the Kincade fire, which ignited and quickly spread on October 23. It started by fewer than 1,000 acres the next day and had consumed 77,758 acres. A total of 349 structures, at least 165 of them homes, were destroyed by the flames, and another 55 were damaged, according to a report by Cal Fire.

With that just not being it WPC reminder looms over of no rain in sight, which means California still remains under threat for wildfire and PG&E power shutdowns. On October 25th, a few days after PG&E notified San Mateo county for it’s second shutdown—San Mateo Community College District (SMCCD) issued a notice for closure. Skyline College and the district office remained closed for three consecutive days, until the school got their power back on Monday October 28.

All operations resumed at all SMCCD Colleges. The power outage troubled people across the Bay Area leaving millions of people in dark. Many teachers had to reschedule tests and extend homework deadlines.

A student from Skyline College, Auxe said “Our term paper deadlines were changed because of the power outages, We couldn’t complete any of our work, which was quite stressful with midterms being so near”.

With the recent shutdowns it is clear that PG&E is better if it was turned into a customer owned corporate. Turning PG&E into a cooperative could indeed bring benefits. Focusing utility operations on service not profitability could result in badly needed maintenance, better capital investments, and eventually, lower bills.

While air quality has worsened in California during this year’s wildfires, it is far better from what it was last year leading to shutting down schools and being the worst in the world.

In all, the 29 counties affected by the power outages experienced what it was like without power, a luxury that many take for granted all across the world.