By Gizem Nisa Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) - A widespread power outage plunged much of northern San Francisco into darkness on Saturday, cutting electricity to about 130,000 homes and businesses, according to US media.
ABC News reported late Saturday that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said the blackout, affecting roughly one-third of its customers in the city, began in the early afternoon in neighborhoods including Richmond, Presidio and areas near Golden Gate Park, before expanding further.
PG&E did not immediately comment on the cause.
Local media and social media users reported shuttered restaurants, darkened streetlights and unlit Christmas decorations.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management warned on the US social media company X of “significant transit disruptions” citywide, urging residents to avoid nonessential travel and treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
Transportation officials said some Muni bus and BART stations were being bypassed due to the outages.
Fire officials later said at least part of the blackout was triggered by a fire at a PG&E substation near 8th and Mission streets at around 3.15 pm (2315GMT).
By about 4 pm (1200GMT), PG&E said on X it had stabilized the power grid and did not expect additional outages, though restoration timelines remained unclear.