San Francisco Power Outage: PG&E Struggles to Restore Electricity Amid Widespread Disruptions

Over 130,000 San Francisco residents were left without electricity on December 20, sparking widespread disruptions across the city. Residents turned to social media to find out when power would be restored, but officials struggled to provide a specific timeline. According to Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) outage map, several areas, including The Presidio, Seacliff, and Golden Gate Park, were affected. The utility company stated that restoration was possible later that day, although they couldn't confirm the exact time. San Francisco authorities shared updates on social media, advising residents to exercise caution when traveling and to keep their refrigerators and freezers closed to prevent food spoilage. BART Alert reported that the Civic Center station had reopened, but the Market Street Subway would remain closed for the evening. The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) confirmed an ongoing fire at a PG&E substation at 8th and Mission Streets, which was 80% contained with no injuries or structural damage reported. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, officials suspect it may have contributed to the power outage. PG&E has yet to confirm a cause for the massive outages, but residents are hoping for a swift restoration of electricity to resume daily life in San Francisco.