San Francisco Plunged into Darkness: 130,000 Lose Power, Self-Driving Cars Stranded in Streets (VIDEOS)
A massive power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, leaving over 100,000 people without power. Credit: KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA YouTube screenshot
Chaos hit San Francisco on Saturday, disrupting city life and raising questions about infrastructure and technology in the city.
A major power outage affected thousands of residents, leaving parts of San Francisco in darkness and stranding self-driving vehicles in the streets. The blackout began in the city’s north side early in the afternoon and eventually spread, leaving approximately 130,000 people without power.
Fire officials confirmed that at least part of the outage was caused by a fire at a PG&E substation on 8th and Mission streets. The exact causes of the remaining outages remain under investigation.
Just 21% of the workforce at PG&E (the energy supplier for San Francisco) are White Men. https://t.co/Fm7Fe2i3qL pic.twitter.com/HsXXjq9JwJ
— Christian Heiens 🏛 (@ChristianHeiens) December 21, 2025
The blackout also disrupted transportation. Self-driving vehicles stalled at intersections, causing significant traffic jams, and BART trains bypassed at least two downtown stations. Waymo temporarily suspended its autonomous ride-hailing services in the Bay Area, stating:
“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage. Our teams are working closely with city officials to monitor infrastructure stability and hope to resume services soon. We appreciate your patience and will provide updates as soon as they are available.”
LIGHTS OUT: A massive blackout plunged parts of San Francisco into darkness, leaving about 130,000 homes without power. Self-driving cars stalled in the streets, traffic snarled across the city, and public transit faced major disruptions. pic.twitter.com/GNYZ3VTAqU
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 21, 2025
Passenger sitting in stalled Waymo at Masonic and Geary due to traffic lights being out.
Approximately 130,000 San Francisco customers are without power after an outage impacted a large swath of the city on Saturday.
🎥 Gillian Mohney / SFGATE pic.twitter.com/uZYlagoRPQ
— SFGATE (@SFGate) December 21, 2025
Complete darkness in parts of San Francisco as power outage stretches beyond 6 hours pic.twitter.com/MobJBhLUTS
— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) December 21, 2025
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
As of the latest reports, power has been restored to roughly 95,000 customers, with about 35,000 still affected.
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