While the story is developing, PG&E shut off power for an estimated 7,400 customers in San Francisco Friday, including the beleaguered Sunset District, as the SF Emergency Management Department warned residents Thursday that SF's record-breaking heat wave could put a strain on the grid.
News outlets are giving conflicting reports regarding how many customers were without power Friday afternoon. KTVU reports that around 7,400 PG&E customers in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and Sunset District neighborhoods lost power Friday afternoon after the utility shut off service to repair a damaged section of its electrical system.
Yesterday, the SF Department of Emergency Management alerted residents that power outages are common in extreme heat conditions.
Per KTVU, the outage was reported around 2:30 pm, with most customers’ power restored within 40 minutes. Around 800 customers were still without power as of 3:10 pm, which was expected to be turned back on by 6:30 pm.
The Chronicle and KRON4 are reporting that the Upper Market, Castro, and Lower Haight districts also lost power, which is expected to be restored around 8 pm.
The department of emergency management advised residents on social media to check PG&E for updates.
A large, unplanned power outage is impacting multiple neighborhoods and moving throughout the city.
— San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (@SF_emergency) March 20, 2026
Know where to check outage updates. Visit PG&E’s Outage Center or call 1-800-743-5002 for real-time outage maps, updates, and estimated restoration times. You can also sign up to… pic.twitter.com/puIIz7Bfaw
As SFist reported over the weekend, an earlier unplanned PG&E outage occurred Sunday morning, affecting 3,600 addresses in the Richmond/Sea Cliff neighborhood, which was fully restored after three and a half hours. A PG&E representative told the Chronicle that the cause was being investigated.
SFist reported in January that a group of Sunset District business owners were suing PG&E over losses from the December 20 outage that left roughly 137,000 customers without power — some for multiple days during a peak holiday weekend.
The businesses said the claims process was difficult to navigate and that compensation had been delayed, with some still awaiting responses, per SFist. PG&E said it had processed more than 2,400 claims, with about 70% resolved within 13 days.
PG&E’s CEO told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Thursday, per KTVU, that the utility is working to improve communication, emergency response, and infrastructure following the December outage.
Image: SF Department of Energy Management/X
Previously:Massive Power Outage In San Francisco Leaves 200,000+ In the Dark, Disrupts Muni and BART
