San Francisco Slowly Lights Back Up After Massive Citywide Power Outage
So here’s what happened in San Francisco over the weekend, and it was a big one. A massive power outage swept across the city, leaving more than 130,000 PG&E customers — nearly 30% of San Francisco — without electricity at its peak. It started quietly in the morning, but by nightfall, it had turned into a citywide disruption that affected neighborhoods, transit, businesses, and major events.
The first outages were reported around 9:40 a.m. in the Inner Sunset, impacting roughly 14,700 customers. Not long after that, the blackout spread fast. By 10:10 a.m., large parts of the Richmond District, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Civic Center, and surrounding areas had gone dark. As the day went on, scattered outages were reported downtown, in the Tenderloin, the Mission District, the Western Addition, and even near the Chase Center. By Saturday evening, San Francisco was dealing with one of its largest power failures in years.
City officials quickly urged residents not to call 911 unless there was a life-threatening emergency, emphasizing that emergency lines needed to stay open. Mayor Daniel Lurie also asked people to stay off the streets, as many traffic lights across the city were out, creating dangerous conditions and major congestion.
Also Read:- The Grinch Brings Big-Screen Holiday Magic to Marysville
- Kellie Sloane Praised as Tensions Rise After Bondi Beach Attack
The root of the problem was traced to a PG&E substation located at 8th and Mission Streets in the South of Market area. A fire was reported there around 2:14 p.m., with firefighters responding to the scene. PG&E confirmed that the substation was at the center of the outage, though the exact cause of the fire was still under investigation.
By Saturday night, some progress was finally seen. PG&E reported that power was being restored gradually, with about 70% of customers back online by around 9:45 p.m. Mayor Lurie confirmed in a late-night update that residents were starting to see their lights come back on, and more restoration was expected around midnight. Still, tens of thousands of customers remained without power well into the evening.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Saturday before Christmas is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and the outage forced some businesses to close, cancelled performances like a matinee show at the Orpheum Theatre, disrupted BART and Muni service, and even paused autonomous ride services across the city.
What made the situation even more frustrating for many was the history behind it. The same Mission substation was responsible for a massive blackout back in 2003, also during peak shopping season, raising serious questions about infrastructure and preparedness. City leaders have already said further investigation will be needed to understand what went wrong this time and how it can be prevented in the future.
For now, San Francisco is slowly powering back up, but the outage has left many residents shaken — and demanding answers.
Read More:
0 Comments