URGENT UPDATE: Power has been restored to 90,000 of the 130,000 homes and businesses affected by a massive outage in San Francisco. As of Sunday morning, more than 40,000 customers remain without electricity, nearly 16 hours after the outage began at 1 PM on Saturday. Crews from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) are working diligently to restore full service.
The outage impacted a significant portion of the northern city, causing major disruptions during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. As the city plunged into darkness, businesses, restaurants, and holiday decorations were left unlit, with local media and social media flooded with reports of widespread closures and chaos.
Mayor Daniel Lurie took to X to urge residents to stay home if possible and to use flashlights instead of candles to minimize fire hazards. “As we head into the night, PG&E has restored power to 90,000 customers, but there are still about 40,000 customers without power,” he stated in a post that included critical safety tips.
Significant transit disruptions were reported citywide, prompting the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management to advise residents to treat traffic lights as four-way stops and to avoid non-essential travel. The challenges were compounded as Waymo, the operator of driverless ride-hailing vehicles, suspended its services after one of its vehicles was spotted halted in an intersection during the outage.
The outage was initially triggered by a fire inside a PG&E substation located at 8th and Mission Streets. Fire officials confirmed the incident around 3:15 PM, although the complete cause remains under investigation. By 4 PM, PG&E announced on X that the grid had stabilized and no further outages were anticipated.
As efforts continue to restore power, residents are encouraged to check on neighbors, particularly the elderly or those with special needs. The community is coming together to weather the storm, demonstrating resilience in the face of unexpected challenges.
Stay tuned for further updates as PG&E works towards full restoration and as city officials monitor the situation closely.
