San Francisco Blackout Disrupts Critical Infrastructure on Anniversary of 2003 Substation Fire

2025-12-21 companies

San Francisco, Sunday, 21 December 2025.
A substation fire left 130,000 San Francisco customers powerless Saturday, causing citywide gridlock exactly 22 years after a strikingly similar incident occurred at the same facility.

Grid Failure Strikes on Critical Anniversary

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE: PCG) faced a significant infrastructure crisis on Saturday, December 20, 2025, as a fire at its Mission substation plunged approximately 130,000 customers into darkness across San Francisco [1][2]. The blackout, which affected roughly 30% of the utility’s customer base in the city, disrupted critical infrastructure and commerce during the penultimate shopping weekend before Christmas [1][5]. The incident is particularly notable for its timing: the fire at the substation on 8th and Mission Streets occurred exactly 22 years to the day after a strikingly similar blaze at the same facility on December 20, 2003 [3]. While the initial outages began in the Inner Sunset neighborhood around 09:40, the situation escalated significantly when the substation fire was reported shortly after 14:00, necessitating an evacuation of the facility [1][5][7].

A City at a Standstill

The power failure triggered immediate logistical chaos across the city. Traffic signals ceased functioning, leading to widespread gridlock, while autonomous vehicle services operated by Waymo were suspended after their robotaxis were reportedly “bricked” at non-operational stoplights [4][6]. Public transit was severely hampered; BART temporarily closed its Powell and Civic Center stations, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) was forced to halt underground Muni train service [2][6]. The economic impact was immediate, with businesses such as Walgreens and local restaurants forced to close, and the matinee performance of Moulin Rouge at the Orpheum Theatre canceled [1]. Supervisor Matt Dorsey highlighted the economic severity of the timing, noting, “The Saturday before Christmas is historically one of the busiest shopping days of the year… This is the worst time PG&E could have a problem” [1].

Echoes of 2003: A History of Infrastructure Failures

This latest incident has revived scrutiny regarding PG&E’s management of the Mission substation. The fire on Saturday occurred on the exact anniversary of a December 20, 2003, fire at the same location, which also left over 100,000 customers without power during the holiday season [3]. Following the 2003 incident, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) penalized the utility $6.5 million, citing a failure to implement improvements that had been recommended after an even earlier fire in 1996 [3]. Regulators at the time described the utility’s failure to heed its own internal guidance as “quite troubling,” noting that proper implementation of safety measures could have mitigated the disruption [3]. The recurrence of a fire at this specific high-voltage distribution hub raises serious questions about the long-term efficacy of those mandated improvements.

Restoration Efforts and Official Response

Restoration efforts continued late into Saturday night. By 21:00, PG&E reported that power had been restored to 90,000 customers, leaving approximately 42,000 still in the dark [2]. Another report indicated that by 21:45, 70% of affected customers had their service restored [1]. The utility anticipated resolving the remaining outages overnight [2]. City officials have expressed frustration with the infrastructure failure; District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood termed the event “unacceptable,” stating, “There will have to be further investigation and questions that have to be answered about what went wrong” [1]. Mayor Daniel Lurie urged residents to stay home due to the lack of street lighting and incoming rain, emphasizing safety while crews worked to stabilize the grid [5][6].

Sources

Utilities Infrastructure