San Francisco Power Outage: Nearly 130,000 Homes Without Power After Fire at PG&E Substation

Nearly 130,000 customers are without power after a fire broke out at a PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) substation in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, December 19. According to reports, electrical crews are actively working to restore electricity to the area.

San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued a statement advising citizens to avoid non-essential travel and keep the doors of the refrigerator and freezer closed. The department warned not to use gas stoves and generators inside the home.

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"A large power outage is impacting San Francisco - only call 9-1-1 for life safety emergencies, avoid non-essential travel, treat down traffic signals as four way stops, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, and turn off major appliances to prevent surges. Never use gas stoves, grills, or generators indoors due to carbon monoxide risks," San Francisco Department of Emergency Management in a statement.

The power outage in San Francisco has caused Waymo’s self-driving cars to come to a halt, leading to traffic disruptions across the city. https://t.co/8vPCrKF9zepic.twitter.com/kXjOJ3UN4c

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 21, 2025

A video shared on social media shows huge vehicular jam on the dark street of Waymo in San Francisco as self-driving cars like Tesla come to a halt. 

The blackout began at around 9.40 am initially in the Inner Sunset region, impacting nearly 14,600–15,000 customers. After a second major outage occurred at around 10.10 am, which affected Richmond District, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, and parts of the city’s downtown/central corridors. 

SFFD is on scene of a 1 alarm fire at a PG&E substation located at 8th St. and Mission St. we are working collaboratively to shut shut down power and extinguish the fire with carbon dioxide. Please avoid the area , Heavy traffic. #sffdpic.twitter.com/1CmcK0CTIW

— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) December 20, 2025

As the day progressed, the outage continued to widen to the west side into additional neighbourhoods extending into parts of the Outer Sunset, as well as areas closer to the city’s cor,e such as Hayes Valley, Alamo Square, and portions of the Mission.