California sweltering: Thousands in the dark after high demand for air conditioning

SAN FRANCISCO — Power companies worked to restore electricity to thousands of customers throughout California early Monday as a scorching heat wave threatened to push the state into a power emergency with the potential for more blackouts.

Authorities were looking into several deaths possibly related to the high temperatures, which hit the triple digits in some areas on Sunday.

With temperatures again expected to top 100 degrees, power demand was projected to reach an all-time high Monday and prompt some voluntary blackouts, in which some businesses agree to have their power shut off temporarily in exchange for lower rates, according to the Independent System Operator, California's power grid manager.

Those blackouts could become involuntary if customers don't conserve electricity, said ISO spokesman Gregg Fishman.

"It's actually critical that people conserve power," Fishman said.

Monday's forecast called for high temperatures in northern and central California to reach 111 degrees in Morgan Hills, 110 in Fresno, Stockton and Modesto and 109 in Bakersfield. Southern California's Woodland Hills was expected to reach 106.

No relief was expected until at least midweek, as weather conditions conspired to bake California's normally cool coast for the fourth straight day and bring Midwest-style humidity into the usually arid Central Valley.

Heavy electricity use as people turned up their air conditioners caused blackouts throughout the state over the weekend.

Early Monday, some 100,000 power customers in Northern California and the Central Valley still had no electricity, along with 44,000 in Southern California. That was down from a high of 180,000 customers affected over the weekend.

More than 100 patients were evacuated from the Beverly Healthcare Center in Stockton on Sunday after temperatures reached 115 degrees and the nursing home's air conditioning gave out.

Two patients were hospitalized with heat-related stress — one died, and the other was in critical condition, said police spokesman Pete Smith.

Investigators were looking into possible criminal charges, although it was too early to tell whether the facility's operators were negligent, Smith said.

"It was very hot inside the facility, and you have to remember we're talking about elderly and infirm people who can't withstand the heat like a younger person would," he said.