A significant power failure left a substantial portion of San Francisco without electricity on Saturday, December 21, 2025, impacting an estimated 130,000 homes and businesses. Utility provider Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) confirmed the widespread outage, which began in the early afternoon.
Scope and Cause of the Blackout
The outage originated in the city's northern neighbourhoods, including Richmond and Presidio, as well as areas surrounding Golden Gate Park. It rapidly expanded from there, eventually affecting approximately one-third of PG&E's customer base within San Francisco. Fire officials later identified a key cause: a fire that ignited inside a critical PG&E substation located at 8th and Mission streets around 3:15 p.m.
PG&E did not provide an immediate comment on the root cause of the initial failure. However, by approximately 4:00 p.m., the company announced it had managed to stabilize the power grid and did not anticipate further customer losses. Restoration timelines for the tens of thousands still without power remained uncertain into Saturday evening.
Widespread Disruption Across the City
The consequences of the blackout were immediate and far-reaching. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management took to social media platform X to warn residents of significant transit disruptions citywide and advised avoiding non-essential travel.
Key impacts included:
- Mass Transit Halted: Muni trains were unable to enter underground sections, including the Muni Metro and Central Subway. BART stations at Civic Center and Powell were closed.
- Businesses Forced Closed: Social media and local news reports detailed mass closures of restaurants and retail shops, with holiday Christmas decorations going dark.
- Traffic Hazards: The failure of street lights and traffic signals prompted emergency officials to instruct drivers to treat any non-functioning signal as a four-way stop.
Transportation agencies implemented bypasses for several Muni bus routes and BART stations due to the lack of power. Shuttle services were activated, such as one running between West Portal and Caltrain, with officials suggesting alternative bus lines like the 8, 30, and 45.
Emergency Response and Public Safety
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued critical safety guidance to the public during the crisis. They urged residents to:
- Reserve 9-1-1 calls for life-threatening emergencies only.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to preserve food.
- Turn off major appliances to prevent potential power surges when electricity is restored.
- Never use gas stoves or ovens as a source of heat, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
While PG&E worked with first responders and city officials, the full restoration of power for all affected customers remained a developing situation throughout Saturday. The event underscores the vulnerability of urban infrastructure to large-scale technical failures and the cascading effects on public safety, commerce, and daily life.
