On Saturday, December 20, a widespread power outage struck San Francisco, California in the United States. By Sunday, approximately 110,000 customers had their power restored.
According to a report from Reuters on Sunday, the major utility company in San Francisco, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), had around 130,000 customers affected by the large-scale blackout, accounting for about a third of the city’s customers.
The city’s emergency management department and PG&E announced that as of 7:30 on Sunday morning, power had been restored to approximately 110,000 customers. The remaining roughly 21,000 affected customers were mainly located in Presidio, Richmond District, Golden Gate Park, and a small part of downtown.
As of the latest update on Sunday afternoon, approximately 16,000 customers were still facing power outages. PG&E expected to fully restore power by as late as 2 p.m. on Monday, December 22.
The blackout started on Saturday morning. The first outage occurred around 9:40 a.m., affecting about 14,600 customers from Inner Sunset to Forest Hill. The second outage, around 10:10 a.m., cut off power to parts of Presidio, Richmond District, and Market Street, impacting over 24,800 customers.
As the afternoon progressed, the outage expanded further. Around 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, a fire broke out at a PG&E substation on Eighth and Mission Streets, although no injuries were reported.
San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Lieutenant Mariano Elias stated that the fire resulted in some power outages. PG&E confirmed that the substation fire caused “significant and widespread” damage, making the repair and safety restoration process more complex, leading the company to mobilize additional engineers and electricians for repairs.
The widespread blackout in San Francisco led to traffic signal failures or flickering lights, resulting in traffic jams; many restaurants, bars, shops, and museums closed, with some businesses resorting to candlelight to continue operations; numerous individuals were trapped in elevators; fire alarms sounded frequently; and municipal transportation was disrupted. Self-driving company Waymo suspended its autonomous taxi services to ensure safety and emergency access.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated on Sunday that the city government had reached out to community leaders to provide emergency resources for residents, including cellphone charging locations and hotel reservations (cost covered by PG&E).
A community resource center was set up at the Richmond Rec Center (251 18th Avenue), open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday and then daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lurie also urged residents to prepare for power outages by avoiding frequently opening refrigerators and using flashlights instead of candles to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned on Sunday that the company’s self-driving taxis were not affected by the power outage.
The blackout occurred during the busy pre-Christmas period, significantly impacting residents’ daily lives. PG&E stated that while repair efforts were ongoing, an investigation into the cause of the outage was also underway.