Substation Fire Knocks Out Power Across Parts Of San Francisco

A fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in San Francisco sparked widespread power outages across areas of the northern half of the city, from the Richmond and Sunset districts through Haight-Ashbury and into the downtown area.

SFFD is on scene of a 1 alarm fire at a PG&E substation located at 8th St. and Mission St. we are working collaboratively to shut shut down power and extinguish the fire with carbon dioxide. Please avoid the area , Heavy traffic. #sffd pic.twitter.com/1CmcK0CTIW

— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) December 20, 2025

It’s the 8th and Mission Street @PGE4Me Substation. pic.twitter.com/heNFDLyMPB

— Matt Dorsey (@mattdorsey) December 21, 2025

Anyone wondering about the S.F. wide power outage I am watching where it happened from my window pic.twitter.com/2LHZnEFxtH

— snwy (@snwy_me) December 20, 2025

Firefighters responded to a blaze at a PG&E substation on 8th and Mission Street on Saturday evening. The latest data from Poweroutage.US says about 125,000 customers are without power.

Waymos paralyzed.

The power outage in San Francisco has caused Waymo’s self-driving cars to come to a halt, leading to traffic disruptions across the city. https://t.co/8vPCrKF9ze pic.twitter.com/kXjOJ3UN4c

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 21, 2025

Not the first time. 

Historical fun fact: today is not the first time @PGE4Me plunged large swaths of San Francisco into darkness on the Saturday before Christmas — among the busiest shopping days of the year — and today’s outage would appear to involve the same substation to blame 22 years ago. pic.twitter.com/XHT4WfJSZ1

— Matt Dorsey (@mattdorsey) December 21, 2025

Officials have yet to say what sparked the substation fire.

*Developing…