San Francisco was hit by a massive power outage, leaving 130,000 PG&E customers, or about 30% of the city, in the dark on a rainy Saturday in the middle of the holiday season.
The power outage began in the morning, but was caused by a fire inside a PG&E substation around 2:15 p.m., according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The fire was extinguished by 4:24 p.m., but the cause is still unknown.
“I’m comfortable saying this is a contributing factor to the outage, but I don’t know if it’s the entire reason,” SFFD Lt. Mariano Elias said.
The San Francisco Emergency Management Agency posted a map showing the power outages had a major impact on the city’s west side. Areas most affected include Richmond, Sunset, Presidio and Golden Gate Park.
PG&E said most customers had power restored by 10 p.m.
Service was restored to about 110,000 PG&E customers on Sunday. The company said it could not provide an exact timeline for full recovery.
A PG&E spokesperson said the cause of the outage has not yet been determined.
PG&E posted on X on Sunday morning that “the damage caused by the substation fire is significant and extensive and will complicate repairs and safe restoration,” adding that it has “mobilized additional technicians and electricians.”
Saturday’s power outage disrupted public transportation, including BART trains. BART said delays were occurring at Powell Street and Civic Center stations, causing trains in San Francisco to be delayed by 10 minutes.
By 7pm on Saturday, service at each station had been restored. Municipal subway and central subway systems, but also beyond.
The widespread power outages occurred over the weekend before Christmas, as more rain is forecast for San Francisco and Christmas Day. Weather officials predict there is an 80 percent chance that more than 2 inches of rain will fall in downtown Los Angeles by Christmas from the Pineapple Express storm that hit San Francisco on Saturday.
San Franciscans posted on social media about businesses losing power, being stuck in traffic, and self-driving Waymo cars.
Waymo suspended its ride-hailing service in San Francisco on Saturday.
“In response to the widespread power outage in San Francisco, we have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing service,” Waymo spokeswoman Suzanne Filion said in a statement. “Our focus is on keeping passengers safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the access they need to do their work.”
“We have stabilized our power grid and do not anticipate any further outages for our customers at this time.”
San Francisco’s mayor said in a video that city officials are working with PG&E to restore power and urged residents to stay home if possible. “What I would ask everyone to do is to be safe on the roads. A lot of the lights are out. We will continue to get the word out,” Lurie said.
The San Francisco Emergency Management Agency said in an email that people in the city should avoid non-essential travel. Instead of reporting a power outage, call 911 only in case of a life-threatening emergency. Turn off major appliances to prevent power surges. Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed. A darkened signal is treated as a four-way stop.
The department also warned people not to use gas stoves, grills or generators indoors because power outages can increase the risk of carbon monoxide exposure.
Katie King contributed to this report.
