Additional Coverage:
- San Francisco power outage leaves 130,000 people without electricity amid transit chaos (themirror.com)
San Francisco Plunged into Darkness: Major Power Outage Hits 130,000 Homes and Businesses
San Francisco experienced a widespread power outage on Saturday, leaving an estimated 130,000 homes and businesses without electricity. The blackout, affecting approximately one-third of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) customers in the city, began in the early afternoon and impacted a significant portion of the city’s northern section, including the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and areas surrounding Golden Gate Park.
The cause of the extensive outages was not immediately clear, with PG&E not responding to inquiries regarding the trigger. However, fire officials later reported that at least some of the outages were linked to a fire that broke out inside a PG&E substation located at 8th and Mission streets around 3:15 p.m.
The sudden loss of power led to considerable disruption across the city. Social media and local reports documented numerous eateries and stores closing, along with darkened streetlights and Christmas displays.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued a warning on X (formerly Twitter) about “significant transit disruptions” citywide, advising residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to treat malfunctioning traffic lights as four-way stops. Transit authorities also announced that certain Muni bus and BART train stops would be skipped due to the power failures.
By approximately 4:00 p.m., PG&E announced on X that the electrical grid had been stabilized, and no further customer outages were anticipated. However, the utility provider could not confirm whether power would be fully restored by late Saturday.