A massive power outage, triggered by a substation fire, impacted 130,000 San Francisco homes and businesses on Saturday, causing widespread disruptions. While most power was restored by Sunday, over 16,000 customers remained without electricity as crews worked on complex repairs with no clear restoration timeline.
A significant power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, affecting approximately 130,000 homes and businesses, representing about one-third of PG&E's customers in the city. The disruption, which began shortly after 1 p.m., was attributed to a fire at a substation located at 8th and Mission streets. By Sunday morning, power had been restored to the majority of affected areas, but more than 16,000 customers were still without electricity as of Sunday noon. PG&E stated that the damage from the substation fire was 'significant and extensive,' making repairs and safe restoration complex, and could not provide a precise timeline for full restoration. The utility mobilized additional engineers and electricians to aid in the efforts, emphasizing the high safety focus required. No injuries were reported. The outage caused major citywide disruptions, including mass closures of restaurants and shops, darkened street lights and Christmas decorations during a busy shopping day, and significant transit issues. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management advised avoiding nonessential travel and treating dark traffic signals as four-way stops. Driverless ride-hailing service Waymo also suspended operations. The outage remains under investigation.
