A major blaze erupted north of San Francisco as PG&E cuts power to 178,000 homes and businesses.

PG&E Corp. has cut power to 513,000 customers in the biggest planned blackout yet to keep power lines from sparking more blazes.

Shares for PG&E plunged after a judge ruled that a jury can determine whether it should pay billions in damages to wildfire victims.

The insurance-like fund could be tapped into the next time a power line sparks a catastrophic blaze.

More than 2,000 acres burned in Monterey County this week, as fires linked to PG&E Corp. have started to break out across California.

The settlement comes as the California utility giant works through its bankruptcy — the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

Governor Gavin Newsom said he's budgeting $75 million to help communities deal with the threat.

Anyone who gets power from PG&E Corp. could see their lights go out this fire season.