(TNS) — More than 900,000 people in 25 California counties — including every Bay Area county but San Francisco — could lose power starting Wednesday as windy, dry conditions will greatly increase fire risk.

PG&E said Monday that 303,000 homes and businesses — each one roughly equivalent to 3 people — could be impacted as the company tries to stop its power lines from starting more fires. In the Bay Area, about 115,000 homes and businesses, equivalent to 345,000 people, could be impacted.

A red flag warning, signaling high fire danger, is projected to begin at 4 a.m. Wednesday and continue through 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. (Click here for the latest on the weather.)

Power shut-offs can last beyond the end of a red flag warning, because PG&E must inspect its equipment after the worst danger has passed. Still, the expected outages this week appear likely to be shorter term than October’s multi-day outages.

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