Due to a major power outage, around 130,000 users were without power according to the electric company Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) this Saturday in San Francisco. The outage affected much of the north side of the city, starting in neighborhoods like Richmond and Presidio and extending to near Golden Gate Park throughout the afternoon.
The company had not yet provided detailed explanations about the causes of the outage, which left about a third of its customers in the city without service. According to the San Francisco Fire Department, one of the factors that contributed to the outage was A fire broke out at a PG&E substationat the intersection of 8th Street and Mission Street, reported around 3:15 p.m. local time.
At 4:00 p.m. (local time), the company announced X that the power grid was stabilized and that they did not expect any new power outages for their customers, although they could not guarantee that full restoration of supply would occur before the end of the day. Because of this, several customers are still waiting for service to be restored.
Users on social networks and the local press reported widely Closing of shops, restaurants and interruption of public lighting and Christmas lights. The Department of Emergency Management warned of “significant traffic disruptions” and residents were advised to postpone trips and treat all intersections with out-of-service traffic lights as intersections with mandatory stopping at all four corners.
Urban public transport was also affected: several stations on the Muni bus network and the BART subway stopped operating in certain sections due to the power outage.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that officer presence would be increased at key intersections and corridors to ensure traffic safety during the duration of the power outage. “It will rain. If you don’t need to go out, stay home and I will keep you updated. We will remain in close contact with PG&E as power is restored and we will keep everyone updated as the work continues,” the local leader warned.
Some pedestrians had to turn on the flashlights of their mobile devices to cross the avenues and streets, which were illuminated only by the light of the moon, albeit slightly dimmed by the fog, and the vehicles that were moving at the time of the power outage.
Large parts of the area bayone of the most important technology hubs on the West Coast and with more than 800,000 residents, was affected by the power outage that left large parts of the city in the dark.
The lack of electricity disrupted public transport operations and left many traffic lights out of action on a busy weekend ahead of the Christmas holidays.
According to PG&E’s outage map, power outages occurred in the Presidio, Seacliff, Richmond, Golden Gate Park, Panhandle, Sunset and areas west of Twin Peaks. Power outages were also reported in sectors of the Western Addition. The company’s website also noted that 30% of the city of San Francisco was without power just before 3 p.m. Saturday.
(With information from Associated Press and AFP)
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