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On December 21, 2025, San Francisco experienced a significant power outage, affecting around 130,000 residents during its worst hours. The city’s primary energy provider announced that power was being steadily restored and that all services would be up and running by the following morning.
Pacific Gas & Electric stated via X that approximately 90,000 households regained electricity by 9 p.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT on Sunday), with the remaining 40,000 expected to see power back by overnight. Thousands of people across the bustling West Coast tech hub, home to more than 800,000 residents, found themselves in the dark, disrupting public transportation and causing many traffic lights to go offline during a busy holiday shopping weekend.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie shared a message from the city’s emergency operations center, acknowledging the severity of the situation. “I understand this was a tough day,” he said. “That’s promising news about the restoration, but if you still don’t have power, please prioritize staying safe and check on your neighbors.”
He added that police, firefighters, and other city officials had been dispatched to assist, advising residents to remain indoors if possible. Several traffic signals were down, leaving officers to direct traffic at key intersections. Additionally, the ride-hailing company Waymo paused its autonomous vehicle services for safety reasons.
The outage was caused by a fire at a substation, according to Lurie. Fog covered parts of the city, and many businesses were forced to close for the day, leaving commercial districts unusually quiet just as holiday shoppers rushed to finish their last-minute purchases. A local store manager described the impact as “devastating” for local businesses, especially during this critical period.
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