A widespread power outage impacted San Francisco on Saturday, initially affecting approximately 130,000 customers – roughly 30% of the city. As of 9:45 p.m., PG&E reported restoring power to 70% of affected customers, bringing the number of remaining outages down to 95,280, or 23% of the city.
Cause and Timeline of the Outage
The first outages were reported around 9:40 a.m. in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, impacting 14,700 customers. Within an hour, additional outages spread to the Richmond District, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, the Inner Sunset District, and areas near the Civic Center, affecting an additional 25,000 customers. The outages then extended to parts of the Tenderloin, downtown, the Mission District, the Chase Center, and the Western Addition.
The source of the problem was traced to a fire at a PG&E substation located at 8th Street and Mission Streets in the South of Market neighborhood, reported at 2:14 p.m. San Francisco Fire Department personnel responded to the scene.
Impacts and Response
City officials urged residents not to call 911 to report the outages unless facing a life safety emergency, to keep the lines open for critical situations. Mayor Daniel Lurie advised residents to stay off the streets due to widespread traffic light failures. PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian indicated that further power restoration was expected around midnight.
The outage disrupted transportation, leading to the closure of BART’s Civic Center station (later reopened) and impacting Muni service, with trains unable to access underground portions of the system. Traffic gridlock was reported downtown, with drivers advised to treat intersections without working signals as four-way stops.
Several businesses were forced to close, including a Walgreens on Market and Ninth Street. Autonomous vehicle service Waymo paused operations in the city. A performance of Moulin Rouge at the Orpheum Theatre was cancelled mid-show, and a brief outage occurred at the Chase Center earlier in the day.
What’s Next?
PG&E is currently investigating the cause of the fire at the substation. While a spokesperson indicated continued progress in restoring power, the full extent of the damage and the timeline for complete repairs remain unclear. If the substation sustained significant damage, full restoration could take longer than the initially projected midnight timeframe. Continued rain and wind gusts of up to 25 mph forecast for the region could potentially hamper repair efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the power outage?
The outage was caused by a fire at a PG&E substation located at 8th Street and Mission Streets in the South of Market neighborhood.
How many customers were affected?
Initially, approximately 130,000 customers – 30% of San Francisco – were without power. As of 9:45 p.m., that number had been reduced to 95,280, or 23% of the city.
Is BART and Muni service affected?
BART closed the Civic Center station due to the outage, but it has since reopened. Muni trains were unable to access underground portions of the system, and shuttle service was implemented.
As power is restored across San Francisco, what steps do you think are most important to ensure the city’s infrastructure is resilient to future disruptions?
