Widespread outage leaves more than 130,000 customers in San Francisco without power

The outage, which began around 9:40 a.m. local time, cut electricity to neighborhoods including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Inner and Outer Sunset, and parts of downtown San Francisco.

Published: December 21, 2025 8:20am

Updated: December 21, 2025 9:07am

A major power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, December 20, 2025, leaving roughly 130,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) customers — about one-third of the city — without electricity during one of the busiest days of the holiday shopping season. 

The outage, which began around 9:40 a.m. local time, cut electricity to neighborhoods including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Inner and Outer Sunset, and parts of downtown San Francisco. 

Fire officials reported that a fire at a utility substation near 8th and Mission Streets contributed to the blackouts. 

Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire and help stabilize the local grid.  


 

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