• Approximately 130,000 residents in San Francisco lost power due to a massive outage.
• A fire at a PG&E substation is believed to be the cause of the outage.
• By Sunday morning, power had been restored to around 110,000 customers.
• The outage disrupted traffic and forced many businesses to close during a peak shopping period.
• City officials urged residents to stay home and avoid non-essential travel during the blackout.

A large electricity outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, impacting approximately 130,000 residents and prompting city officials to recommend that residents remain indoors. The disruption began in the early afternoon and was attributed to a fire at a PG&E substation, which led to significant outages across the city, according to Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.

As darkness fell, affected neighborhoods experienced serious disruptions, including stalled public transport and malfunctioning traffic signals, just as the city was bustling with holiday shoppers. Mayor Daniel Lurie advised residents to avoid travel, highlighting that many intersections were particularly dangerous due to non-functioning traffic lights, as reported by Anadolu Agency and SFGATE.

By Sunday morning, crews from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reported that power had been restored to about 110,000 customers, with the remaining 21,000 still awaiting service. Reports indicate that the utility provider expects to restore electricity to these households by late morning. The blackout left businesses closed and traffic severely affected as authorities mobilized additional resources to manage the aftermath, according to ABC News and Los Angeles Times.

The fire that triggered the outage was classified as significant and extensive, requiring a comprehensive evaluation and repair process. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries due to the incident, although many residents voiced concerns about the impact on holiday activities. PG&E and city officials continue to monitor the situation closely, providing updates through various channels, as reported by Channel News Asia and Los Angeles Times.