Power was mostly restored to around 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco after a massive outage. However, about 17,000 customers were still without power by noon on Sunday. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is working to restore electricity to affected neighborhoods and areas downtown. They expect to have power back for everyone by 2 p.m. Monday.
The outage was linked to a fire at a substation on 8th and Mission streets. PG&E acknowledged that the damage was significant, making repairs complex. Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries from this incident. The utility company has called in extra engineers and electricians to assist with the restoration.
This blackout began shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday, impacting a substantial part of the northern city. At one point, about one-third of PG&E’s customers in San Francisco were affected.
Social media lit up with posts about the chaos, especially since the outage coincided with one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Many shops and restaurants closed their doors, and people reported darkened street lights and holiday decorations. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management warned of major transit disruptions and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
To add context, California has been facing increased scrutiny over utility management, especially concerning power outages. According to a recent report from the California Public Utilities Commission, outages have risen, with PG&E in the spotlight for critical failures during adverse weather events. The company has a troubled history with power outages, often linked to wildfires. Moving forward, many are calling for better infrastructure and safety protocols.
As people voiced their frustrations online, some shared videos of stranded vehicles, including driverless Waymo cars, halted in the middle of intersections due to the lack of traffic signals.
For more details on California’s utility challenges, you can check out this article: AP News on Utility Management.
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