San Francisco blackout affects 130,000 amid holiday weekend
PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2025, 9:05 PM ET
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San Francisco, United States. A power outage on Saturday, Dec. 20 cut electricity to about 130,000 customers after a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation, officials said. The outage hit northern neighbourhoods including Richmond, Presidio and areas near Golden Gate Park, causing transit disruptions, traffic-signal failures and business closures during the holiday weekend. Mayor Daniel Lurie urged residents to stay home, treat dark signals as four-way stops and check on vulnerable neighbours. Pacific Gas and Electric restored 90,000 customers by 9 p.m., with remaining outages expected to be resolved overnight. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.
By Daniel Hayes | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- Dec 20: Power outage begins in San Francisco, affecting roughly 125,000–130,000 customers.
- Dec 20 afternoon: San Francisco Fire Department reports a fire inside a PG&E substation.
- Dec 20 afternoon-evening: Mayor and emergency management advise residents to avoid non-essential travel and treat dark signals as four-way stops.
- Dec 20 9:00 p.m.: PG&E reports restoration of about 90,000 customers, with remaining customers expected to be restored overnight.
- Dec 21: Ongoing restoration work continues; officials monitor transit, traffic and community impacts while assessing cause and damage.
- Articles Published:
- 11
- Right Leaning:
- 1
- Left Leaning:
- 0
- Neutral:
- 10
- Distribution:
- Left 0%, Center 91%, Right 9%
Utility repair crews, emergency responders and equipment suppliers received immediate contract work and operational tasks to restore power, procure replacement parts, and coordinate infrastructure repairs following the outage.
Residents, small businesses, commuters and public transit systems suffered service interruptions, lost revenue, safety risks and disrupted holiday plans during the widespread outage on a busy shopping weekend.
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San Francisco blackout affects 130,000 amid holiday weekend
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