More than 130,000 PG&E customers without power in SF; fire at substation could be major factor

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Thousands of PG &E customers in San Francisco lost power on Saturday.

At last check, more than 130,000 customers were without power.

The outage was first reported in the Inner Sunset neighborhood at about 9:40 a.m. and was affecting about 14,700 customers. At 10:10 a.m., more outages were reported impacting about 25,000 customers in the Richmond District, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Inner Sunset District, and near the Civic Center.

Scattered outages were later reported in parts of the Tenderloin and downtown before spreading to several areas around the city, including parts of the Mission District, SoMa, the Chase Center, the Western Addition and other neighborhoods.

PG &E said crews were evaluating the problem as of 2 p.m. and estimated most customers' power would be back on by 3:45 p.m., with others estimated to be restored by. 7:15 p.m., according to PG &E's outage map.

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PG &E tells ABC7 News, the cause is being investigated. However, the San Francisco Fire Department told ABC7 there was a fire at the PG &E substation at 8th and Mission, which was reported at 2:14 p.m. The department said it could be a major contributing factor to the massive outage.

San Francisco city officials are asking the public to not call 911 to report power outages, "unless there is a life safety emergency. Keep 911 phone open for emergencies."

Mayor Daniel Lurie said the city remains in contact with PG &E and urged residents to stay home.

"If you don't need to travel tonight, please stay off the roads and stay inside," he said in a social media update.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the South of Market district, said the same substation was responsible for a blackout on Dec. 21, 2003, affecting about 120,000 customers at the time.

Rain is forecast for Saturday night, with wind gusts of up to 25 mph. Rainy conditions are expected to continue through Friday.

Power outage affecting BART, Muni service

BART said Civic Center and Van Ness stations stations on the San Francisco Line were closed due to the PG &E power outage. Powell Street station was also closed but reopened around 7 p.m.

BART green lines were running with limited service between Berryessa and Daly City and red line trains were suspended between Richmond and Millbrae. More BART updates can be found here.

For Muni Updates:

The SFMTA said Muni trains are not getting underground into Muni Metro or Central Subway. "Muni shuttle service is running between West Portal and Caltrain, and to consider the 8, 30, 45 for Central Subway. Avoid non-essential travel." More Muni updates can be found here.

Traffic, business impacts

The outage is causing a gridlock in parts of downtown San Francisco with traffic lights out at major intersections. Traffic signals in the affected areas should be treated as four-way stop signs, the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said.

It is also forcing some businesses including the Walgreens on Market and Ninth Street.

Orpheum Theatre, Chase Center impacted

The outage interrupted Saturday's matinee performance of Moulin Rouge at the Orpheum Theatre. The show was cancelled.

"And we saw about five minutes of it, and then the power went out. And we sat there for about half an hour, and it never came back on, and they said the show would be cancelled. So, we're all sitting out here now, disappointed," one attendee told ABC7.

ABC7 also confirmed there was a brief power outage at San Francisco's Chase Center that lasted from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

A spokesperson for PG &E said there was no estimate for restoration as of about 5:30 p.m.

Bay City News contributed to this report