Windy weather and power cuts bring new worries to California residents near massive Dixie Fire

Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent new fires from igniting if gusts damage power lines.

Conditions that suppressed the huge Dixie Fire overnight were expected to give way late in the day to winds that could push flames toward mountain communities in a region where drought and summer heat have turned vegetation to tinder. "In this environment any type of wind, no matter what direction — especially the way the fire's been going — is a concern for everyone," said information officer Jim Evans.