Power has been restored to most of the approximately 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco affected by a significant outage over the weekend. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 16,000 customers remained without electricity following a fire at a utility substation located at 8th and Mission streets on Saturday.
The blackout, which began Saturday afternoon, struck during one of the busiest weekends leading up to Christmas, forcing numerous shops and restaurants to close their doors. The outage disrupted public transit, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system and San Francisco’s Muni network, leaving many residents stranded and unable to return home.
Ongoing Restoration Efforts
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) crews managed to restore power to approximately 114,000 customers by Sunday, including 4,000 on that day alone. The remaining outages were primarily concentrated in neighborhoods such as the Presidio, Richmond District, and Golden Gate Park, as well as small areas of downtown San Francisco.
In response to the situation, PG&E mobilized additional engineers and electricians to expedite restoration efforts. Initially affected neighborhoods included the Richmond and Sunset districts, Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, Forest Hill, and parts of SoMa. The company stabilized the grid by 16:00 on Saturday, preventing further outages.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management reported extensive citywide transit disruptions and urged residents to avoid nonessential travel. Traffic signals that were down were to be treated as four-way stops. BART stations at Powell Street and Civic Center were closed during the outage, and both Muni and Central Subway services were suspended before gradually resuming later in the day.
Community Support and Resources
Waymo, the autonomous taxi service, had to suspend operations as its vehicles stalled at intersections without functioning traffic signals, contributing to traffic jams and obstructing emergency responders. The safety of both riders and emergency personnel remained the priority, according to Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion.
While no injuries have been reported, the outage is still under investigation. In response to the ongoing power issues, PG&E opened a Community Resource Center at 251 18th Ave. in the Richmond District. The center offers charging stations for electronics, free Wi-Fi, bottled water, snacks, accessible restrooms, and customer support. This center operates from 17:00 to 22:00 on Sunday, and from 08:00 to 22:00 on Monday.
PG&E is partnering with the 211 Providers Network to conduct wellness checks and provide additional support for vulnerable customers, including food vouchers and hotel placements.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie provided updates via social media, stating that PG&E expects to restore full power by 14:00 on Monday. He urged residents still affected to utilize the resources available at the Richmond Recreation Center and to call for assistance when needed.
PG&E confirmed via social media that they anticipate restoring all remaining customers impacted by the outage no later than 14:00 on Monday. Crews will continue working diligently until full power is restored.
As the city prepares for incoming storms that may affect additional areas, all eyes remain on PG&E’s restoration efforts and the ongoing impact of the outage on the community.
