Key Facts
• December 20, 2025: A major power outage hit San Francisco, California.
• 130,000 households and businesses were affected by the outage.
• Outage began in Richmond, Presidio, and Golden Gate Park areas, then expanded.
• Power company stated this impacted one-third of its city customers.
• Restaurants and stores closed; streetlights and Christmas decorations went dark.
• San Francisco Emergency Management urged residents to avoid non-essential travel.
• Traffic disruptions occurred citywide; intersections with no signals treated as four-way stops.
• A fire at a PG&E substation at 8th Street and Mission Street caused part of the outage.
• PG&E stabilized the power grid by 4 PM but could not confirm full restoration by night.
• Fire department reported the substation fire at 3:15 PM.
Summary
On December 20, 2025, a massive power outage struck San Francisco, California, affecting 130,000 households and businesses. The outage began in the Richmond, Presidio, and Golden Gate Park areas, later spreading further. The power company reported that one-third of its city customers were impacted. Businesses, including restaurants and stores, were forced to close, while streetlights and Christmas decorations went dark. The San Francisco Emergency Management Department warned of significant traffic disruptions and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel. A fire at a PG&E substation at 8th Street and Mission Street was identified as the cause of part of the outage. By 4 PM, PG&E stabilized the power grid but could not confirm full restoration by late evening. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and its widespread impact on urban life.
