Major Power Outage Hits San Francisco After Substation Fire, Disrupting Transit and Waymo Services

San Francisco, CA - December 20, 2025A widespread power outage affected approximately 130,000 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customers in San Francisco on Saturday, impacting roughly 30% of the city. The blackout, which began with smaller interruptions in the morning and escalated in the afternoon, was linked to a fire at a PG&E substation located at 8th and Mission Streets in the South of Market neighborhood.The San Francisco Fire Department responded to reports of the one-alarm fire around 2:15–3:15 p.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze using carbon dioxide, bringing it under control by approximately 4:24 p.m. PG&E crews worked to stabilize the grid and restore service, with power returning to most affected customers by late evening, around 9–10 p.m.

The outage primarily impacted western and northern neighborhoods, including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, and parts of downtown. Traffic signals went dark, leading to gridlock at intersections, where drivers were advised to treat them as four-way stops.Public transit faced significant disruptions. BART stations at Powell Street and Civic Center were affected, and Muni underground lines and the Central Subway halted service temporarily, with shuttle buses deployed in some areas.

Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing service, temporarily suspended operations in the city. Videos shared on social media showed multiple Waymo vehicles stalled at darkened intersections, contributing to traffic congestion. A Waymo spokesperson stated: "We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco. We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work."

Businesses closed early, and events such as a San Francisco Ballet performance of "The Nutcracker" were canceled. PG&E reported no additional outages were expected after stabilizing the grid.

The cause of the substation fire remains under investigation by PG&E. Rainy weather was present, but no direct link to the incident has been confirmed.