Southern California Edison (SCE) customers whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by recent wildfires will not have to pay for electricity used since the last bill they received at those damaged residences. The utility is also offering payment arrangements for those who were indirectly affected by the fires, such as customers who lost business income.

“We understand what a trying time this is for so many people, and our sympathies go out to those who have been affected by the fires,” said Lynda Ziegler, SCE senior vice president, Customer Service. “We want to help in whatever way we can.”

Customers who qualify for bill forgiveness are encouraged to contact SCE toll-free at (800) 250-7339. Other customers who need special payment arrangements should call (800) 950-2356.

Meanwhile, SCE crews and support personnel — more than 400 strong — continue their round-the-clock efforts making repairs and restoring service to areas ravaged by the wildfires.

SCE also reminds customers of these important safety tips for when there is a widespread outage:

• During a crisis, check on the medical needs of family and neighbors.
• Use flashlights. Don’t use candles, which can start fires.
• Keep battery-powered radio with fresh batteries to stay informed.
• Maintain at least three-quarters of a tank of gasoline in your vehicle(s). Gas station pumps do not operate during power outages.
• Have alternate, back-up arrangements in place to keep perishable food chilled and fresh in the event of prolonged outages. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible during an outage. A well-filled, unopened freezer will keep food frozen for hours without electricity.
• Never connect a portable generator directly to a power line. State law requires that customers inform SCE when a generator is being used at a home or business by calling (800) 655-4555.
• Never touch a power line suspended in the air or lying on the ground.

For more information, visit SCE’s Web site at www.sce.com.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

Southern California Edison
Vanessa McGrady, (626) 302-2255