30% of the City Without Power
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Urges Residents to Stay Home
On Saturday, December 20, 2025, in San Francisco, vehicles are moving under a darkened sky due to fog and a blackout. Photo by AP Yonhap News
A massive blackout occurred in San Francisco, United States, causing widespread disruptions as shops and restaurants closed and public transportation came to a halt.
The cause has been identified as a substation fire, but it remains uncertain when full power restoration will be possible.
On December 20 (local time), Yonhap News, citing foreign media outlets such as The New York Times and AFP, reported that "from the morning, 30% of San Francisco residents, based on the number of power service subscribers, experienced inconveniences due to the blackout."
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the main electricity supplier in San Francisco, announced via X (formerly Twitter) that "it is working with emergency response teams and city officials regarding the blackout, which has affected about 130,000 households."
According to PG&E, nearly half of the northern part of the city, including the Richmond and Sunset districts, lost power.
On Saturday, December 20, 2025, vehicles are waiting at an intersection in San Francisco due to a power outage causing the traffic lights to stop functioning. Photo by AP Yonhap News.
Due to the widespread blackout, some areas saw shops and restaurants close, while others served customers by candlelight.
In some places, mobile phone base stations were affected, resulting in slower data speeds.
As the city center was plunged into darkness, people were seen crossing streets relying on the light from their mobile phones.
With the traffic lights out, the autonomous taxi service Waymo also temporarily suspended operations.
AFP noted that the chaos was heightened as the blackout occurred on the weekend before Christmas.
In some regions, power restoration had begun, but residents were notified that it could take several more hours for full recovery.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie urged citizens to stay home if possible.
He stated that the blackout was caused by a substation fire and that it is unclear when power will be fully restored.
A spokesperson for PG&E said they are working to resolve the issue and expect power to be restored later in the evening.
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