Power has been restored to the majority of approximately 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco following a significant outage over the weekend. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 16,000 customers remained without electricity. The blackout, which began on Saturday afternoon, was reportedly triggered by a fire at a utility substation located at 8th and Mission streets.
The outage occurred during a peak shopping weekend in the lead-up to Christmas, resulting in the closure of numerous shops and restaurants. Autonomous taxi service operated by Waymo was also disrupted, as vehicles stalled at intersections, contributing to gridlock throughout the city. Public transit services, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system and San Francisco’s Muni network, faced significant disruptions, leaving many residents stranded and unable to return home.
Restoration Efforts Underway
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) crews have successfully restored power to approximately 114,000 customers, with around 4,000 restorations occurring on Sunday alone. The remaining outages primarily affect areas including the Presidio, the Richmond District, Golden Gate Park, and certain parts of downtown San Francisco. To expedite restoration, PG&E has deployed additional engineers and electricians.
Key neighborhoods initially impacted included the Richmond and Sunset districts, Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, and parts of SoMa. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management reported widespread transit disruptions and advised residents to avoid nonessential travel. As traffic signals went dark, BART stations at Powell Street and Civic Center closed, while Muni and Central Subway services were suspended.
PG&E managed to stabilize the grid by 16:00 on Saturday, preventing further outages. The utility restored most affected customers within six to eight hours of the initial blackout. Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries to workers or the public; however, the outage remains under investigation.
Community Support and Resources
In response to the emergency, PG&E has opened a Community Resource Center at 251 18th Ave. in the Richmond District. The center is equipped with power stations for charging devices, free Wi-Fi, bottled water, snacks, and ADA-accessible restrooms. It operates from 17:00 to 22:00 on Sunday, and from 08:00 to 22:00 on Monday.
In collaboration with the 211 Providers Network, PG&E is conducting wellness checks through door-to-door visits and is working with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers to provide food vouchers and hotel placements for vulnerable customers.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated on social media: “PG&E has informed us that they expect full power to be restored by 14:00 tomorrow. If your power is still out and you need help, come to the Richmond Rec Center to charge your devices or get other resources. Call 211 if you need a hotel reservation. We will continue to keep you updated until power is restored.”
A statement from PG&E provided an update on the ongoing restoration efforts: “We currently expect to restore all remaining customers impacted by the substation outage by no later than 14:00 on Monday. PG&E crews will continue to work until all customers have been restored.”
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management announced that charging locations are available for residents still without power. Although some library branches remain offline, others are open during regular hours for device charging.
Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion commented: “We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco. We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need.”
Looking ahead, PG&E anticipates that all remaining customers will have their power restored by Monday afternoon, as the utility begins to prepare for incoming storms that could affect other areas. Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
