On December 21, 2025, a massive power outage occurred in San Francisco on Saturday morning (December 20) and continued into the night, affecting an estimated 130,000 users, approximately 30% of the entire city. As of Sunday morning (December 21) at around 6 a.m., over 20,000 users were still without power.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) issued a statement on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. on their platform, informing that the power outage in San Francisco affected around 130,000 users. PG&E mentioned that they had stabilized the electrical grid, ensuring that the outage area would not expand further and there was a possibility of restoring power that night, but it was not confirmed at the time.
As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, the PG&E website still displayed an “Important Notice” stating that their staff was working under safe conditions to restore power to the users affected by the San Francisco power outage on December 20.
The power outage on Saturday, December 20, first appeared around 9:40 a.m. in the Inner Sunset area, affecting over 14,000 users. About half an hour later, at around 10:10 a.m., more areas reported power outages, affecting approximately 25,000 users. The power outage in San Francisco continued to expand its scope thereafter.
San Francisco City Councilor Matt Dorsey posted a message on Saturday on the platform, mentioning that the blackout on the Saturday before Christmas, the busiest shopping day of the year, was not the first time for San Francisco residents. He referenced a blackout that occurred 22 years ago, which appeared to have been caused by the same substation that caused the current outage. Dorsey’s post included a newspaper clipping from the blackout date of December 21, 2023 (a Sunday).
The substation Dorsey referred to is located at the junction of 8th Street and Mission Street. The substation experienced a fire on Saturday afternoon, and the San Francisco Fire Department issued related information and photos, advising people to avoid the area.
Due to the power outage, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system temporarily closed the Civic Center and Powell Street stations on Saturday, operating limited services on some lines. However, by Saturday night at 11 p.m., BART had resumed full services.
The San Francisco Emergency Management Department released a statement at 1 a.m. on Sunday, indicating that power was gradually being restored, but PG&E stated that 40,000 users were still without power that night. Residents were advised to use flashlights instead of candles to prevent fires. The emergency management department also urged everyone to check on their neighbors, especially the elderly and sick, and reminded them to keep the doors of refrigerators or freezers closed. If using a heater, maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from any flammable materials.
Lastly, the emergency management department emphasized that 911 should be contacted only in life-threatening emergencies.