(SAN FRANCISCO, December 21, 2025) – Power has been restored to the vast majority of customers in San Francisco after a widespread outage that began Saturday afternoon, officials reported.
A fire at a PG&E substation was a major factor in the disruption, which at its peak affected nearly 130,000 customers.
- A fire at a PG&E substation contributed to a large-scale power outage in San Francisco.
- At the height of the outage, approximately 130,000 PG&E customers were without power.
- Power has been restored to more then 90% of affected customers, with approximately 42,000 still without service as of late saturday.
A substation fire triggered the outages, impacting a significant portion of San Francisco, according to ABC7 News. Nearly 130,000 PG&E customers lost power, officials said.
did you know?– Substations are vital components of the power grid, transforming voltage levels to deliver electricity to homes and businesses. Fires can disrupt this process, causing widespread outages.
Power Restoration Efforts
as of late Saturday, power had been restored to more than 90% of the customers affected by the outage, SFGate reported. However, approximately 42,000 customers remained without power, PG&E stated, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The utility expects to have full restoration completed overnight.
KTVU reported that 125,000 customers were initially left without power following the outage.
“The cause of the fire at the substation is currently under investigation,” PG&E said in a statement to ABC7 News.
The New york Times reported that power had been restored to most of San Francisco as of Saturday evening.
pro tip– During a power outage, it’s best to unplug sensitive electronics to protect them from potential power surges when electricity is restored.
The outage began Saturday afternoon when a fire erupted at a PG&E substation. The fire, the primary cause of the disruption, impacted nearly 130,000 customers across San Francisco.PG&E, the utility provider, immediately initiated restoration efforts, working to identify the source of the fire and repair the damaged equipment. As of Saturday evening, crews had successfully restored power to over 90% of those affected, leaving approximately 42,000 customers still without service.PG&E anticipates full restoration overnight.the cause of the fire remains under investigation, with PG&E officials stating they are working to determine the origin and prevent future incidents.
reader question– What steps can San Francisco residents take to prepare for future power outages? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
Time.news based this report in part on reporting by The New York Times, ABC7 San Francisco, SFGATE, San Francisco Chronicle, and KTVU and added self-reliant analysis and context.
Key improvements and explanations:
* Answers the “5 Ws and H”: The added paragraph after the second breakpoint
