A large power outage on Saturday left roughly 130,000 homes and businesses across San Francisco without electricity, according to Pacific Gas and Electric, the city’s primary utility provider. The disruption began earlier in the day and expanded through the afternoon and evening, affecting a wide stretch of the city and interrupting transportation, commerce, and daily routines for residents.
PG&E reported that the outage was caused by a fire at a substation near 8th and Mission Streets. As the incident unfolded, electricity was cut to an estimated 30 percent of the city, beginning in neighborhoods such as Richmond and the Presidio and spreading to areas around Golden Gate Park. Additional impacted neighborhoods included Sunset, Haight-Ashbury, Pacific Heights, and the Presidio, as power failures shut down traffic signals, street lighting, and public transit systems.
One of the most visible consequences of the outage involved autonomous vehicles operating in the city. Self-driving cars stalled at intersections when traffic lights went dark, with reports indicating the vehicles were unable to detect nonfunctioning signals. This led to traffic congestion and blocked access points in several areas, compounding delays for drivers and emergency responders navigating already crowded streets.
Local media and social media posts documented widespread closures of restaurants and retail shops, along with darkened streetlights and holiday decorations. Public transportation systems were also affected. The Associated Press reported that city transportation agencies bypassed some Muni bus and BART train stations due to the power failure, limiting mobility for commuters and residents who rely on public transit.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management addressed the situation in a post on X, stating there were “significant transit disruptions” across the city. Officials urged residents to avoid nonessential travel and to treat downed traffic signals as four-way stops, a standard safety protocol intended to reduce the risk of accidents during power outages.
The blackout highlighted the extent to which core city services depend on reliable electricity, from traffic management and transit operations to commercial activity and public safety systems. Large-scale outages of this nature can carry economic consequences for small businesses forced to close unexpectedly and raise operational challenges for emergency services tasked with maintaining order and access during disruptions.
By late afternoon, PG&E provided an update on the situation. At approximately 4 p.m., the utility posted on X that it had stabilized the power grid and did not expect additional customer outages. Restoration efforts continued into the evening as crews worked to return electricity to affected neighborhoods and assess damage at the substation.
