The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. began shutting off electricity Monday in three of 11 counties threatened by high fire danger — the first of the deliberate outages were made in the Sacramento Valley but could grow across Northern California amid forecasts of “unseasonably hot” temperatures, high winds and dry conditions.

PG&E Corp. said it cut power to several thousand customers in Northern California to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires during gusty, dry winds.

U.S. utility firm PG&E Corp said on Monday it has cut power for over 9,000 customers in northern California as a precaution against heightened wildfire risks from high winds. The company said it was monitoring weather conditions across its service territories in California as parts of the state are expected to experience gusty winds,