San Francisco power outage hits 130,000 homes and businesses

A massive power outage plunged a large swath of San Francisco into darkness on Saturday, knocking out power to nearly 130,000 homes and businesses and stalling driverless cars on city streets.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. did not immediately say what caused power outages for about a third of the utility’s customers in the city. Fire officials reported around 3:15 p.m. that at least some of the outages on X were caused by a fire at a PG&E substation at 8th and Mission streets.

The outage darkened much of the city’s north side, starting in the early afternoon in areas around the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and Golden Gate Park and spreading further.

Autonomous vehicles stopped in the middle of the streets, causing traffic congestion in the affected areas.

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The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said there were “significant transit disruptions” across the city in X and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and treat traffic signals as four-way stops.

A Waymo vehicle idles at an intersection where traffic lights are not working due to power outages on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Waymo temporarily suspended its autonomous ride-hailing service following the power outage. SFGate reported.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Waymo for comment but did not immediately hear back.

A cyclist passes the headlights of an oncoming vehicle as power outages darken the streets in San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

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PG&E later said that as of 11:30 p.m. Saturday, crews had restored power to about 95,000 customers, while about 35,000 customers remained without power. The utility company added that crews will continue to work through the night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.