With Californians seeking relief via air conditioners, pools and sprinklers, the state's electricity grid manager declared a Stage 1 emergency, the first of three steps preceding rolling blackouts, in which power is cut to certain regions to avoid a systemwide crash.


"We're tapping our operating reserves and we are stepping up our calls for conservation, but we are still a long way from a Stage 3 alert and blackouts," said Stephanie McCorkle, a spokeswoman for the California Independent System Operator.

For a second straight day, energy demand surged 1,000 megawatts above forecasts, according to the independent system operator. If that trend continues Thursday, California would set a new all-time record for energy demand and come close to using all the available electricity resources that are forecast for the state.