San Francisco's Power Struggle: A City in the Dark

On a Saturday afternoon, a massive power outage left a large part of San Francisco without electricity.

Outage Details

• Start Time: Around 1:09 p.m.
• Peak Affected: 130,000 homes and businesses by 3 p.m.
• Recovery: By 11 p.m., power was restored to about 95,000 customers.

Areas Most Affected

• Richmond District: Still experiencing outages on Sunday.
• Customers Without Power: Almost 18,000 by Sunday afternoon.

Cause of the Outage

• Fire at PG&E Substation: The fire was severe, and repairs will take time.
• PG&E's Statement: Committed to restoring power and urged safety precautions.

Impact on the City

• Closed Businesses: Restaurants and shops shut down.
• Transport Disruptions:
• Robotaxi Waymo cars stopped mid-ride, blocking intersections.
• BART and Muni bus stations skipped stops.

PG&E's Assurance

• Grid Stability: Power grid is now stable, and no further outages are expected.
• Safety Advice:
• Keep refrigerator doors closed.
• Unplug appliances to avoid overloaded circuits and fire hazards.