Power Out For Fourth Time In California

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) – The power is off to prevent utility company equipment from sparking wildfires for the fourth time in the Northern California town of Paradise since last November, where  85 people died in the fire that largely destroyed the community.  The town’s Ace Hardware store is one of the few businesses open Thursday and motorists used to the outages are politely treating  darkened traffic lights like four-way stop intersections.  Store manager Brenda Miller says she uses a wood stove for heat and battery-operated lanterns when the power is out.  She says she sympathizes with residents of wine country in Sonoma County as they flee a fast-growing wildfire.  Miller says: “They’re leaving their homes, they don’t know when they can get back in there, and it’s a mess.”