San Francisco was brought to a near standstill on Saturday after a major power outage plunged large parts of the city into darkness for several hours, disrupting transport, shutting businesses, and snarling traffic during one of the busiest holiday shopping weekends of the year.
The outage began shortly after 1 p.m. and affected around 130,000 homes and businesses across a city of more than 800,000 people, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
🇺🇸 SAN FRAN BLACKOUT – WAYMO FROZE, TESLA DROVE
Waymo’s robotaxis got a little too real last night – by completely shutting down when San Francisco’s power outage knocked out traffic lights.
Meanwhile, Teslas on FSD? Kept rolling. No drama, no headlines – just handling chaos… pic.twitter.com/8FinYpAOcB
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 21, 2025
What Triggered the San Francisco Blackout
City officials said the blackout was caused by a fire at a PG&E substation near 8th and Mission streets, which led to extensive damage and cascading power failures across multiple neighborhoods.
PG&E described the damage as “significant and extensive,” noting that the scale of repairs made restoration complex and time-consuming.
Restoration Efforts and Power Updates
By early Sunday morning, electricity had been restored to about 110,000 customers, while roughly 21,000 remained without power. PG&E said additional engineers and electricians were mobilized but did not provide a precise timeline for full restoration.
By Saturday evening, the utility said the grid had been stabilized and it did not expect further outages.
Traffic, Transit, and Safety Impacts
The blackout had an immediate impact on daily life. Traffic lights went dark across wide areas, forcing police officers to manually direct vehicles at busy intersections.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management urged residents to avoid non-essential travel and reminded drivers to treat intersections with non-functioning signals as four-way stops.
Public transport was also disrupted. Trains on parts of the city’s rapid transit network bypassed certain downtown stations, while buses faced delays due to gridlocked roads. Waymo’s self-driving ride-hailing services were temporarily suspended as a safety precaution.
Holiday Weekend Businesses Hit Hard
The timing amplified the economic impact. With Christmas just days away, many retailers and restaurants were forced to close, leaving normally busy shopping corridors unusually quiet.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that some business owners described the sudden loss of foot traffic as “devastating,” especially as fog also blanketed parts of the city, further discouraging shoppers.
City Response and Ongoing Investigation
Mayor Daniel Lurie acknowledged the strain on residents and businesses, calling it a “rough day” for the city. Speaking from the emergency operations center, he said officials were coordinating closely with PG&E and first responders to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
Investigations into the cause of the substation fire are ongoing. Officials said no injuries related to the incident have been reported.
