LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. -- Southern California Edison said Wednesday around 11:30 a.m. a small fire was caused by a crow coming into contact with electrical lines on top of a transmission pole on Joughin Hill along Highway 178.

Deborah Hess with Southern California Edison said, "What we think happened, and we don't know for sure is that the crow went face to face and cause a fire. The cross arms broke, and both arms caught on fire. They are not stable, so we need to replace them."

The Lake Isabella Senior Center was opened as a shelter for residents, but most folks decided to wait it out at home.

"A friend of mine had a generator so I have it in my driveway and I am plugged into it, the guy next store is plugged in, and my other neighbor has plugged his house into his motor home generator. So, we all have power. Our whole block is on generators," said resident Lloyd Merry.

While some residents were able to get power with the help of generators, others were left without water because their wells are pumped using electricity.

Resident Tracy Sherrill has a well on her property, and said she thinks she could connect her generator to the well pump, but then her house wouldn't be able to use the generator.

“It’s like one or the other, do you want the fridge, or do you want water? Well, the baby needs the fridge,” said Sherrill.

Residents weren’t the only one’s affected; many businesses were forced to close their doors.

Frank Andrews owns a tire shop in Mountain Mesa, and he can't do any work while the power is out.

He showed up for work today because he had customers scheduled to pick up new tires.

"I'm closed, but I am here because I promised people I would have their tires. I can't put them on, but I kept my word. So, here I am waiting for someone to show up," said Andrews.

Edison said due to the tough terrain, machinery nor trucks can access the damaged poles, making the fix much harder.

“Their up there hand digging, and their digging in rock and granite. We have a helicopter scheduled to come in first thing Friday morning to get the poles replaced," said Hess.

Highway 178 will be closed to one lane Thursday night and also Friday morning as the poles are installed.

Edison said they are working to install temporary power generation for residents by Thursday night, but there are no guarantees.

If you would like more information you can contact Edison at 1-800-655-4555.