Connect with us

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco power outage left 130,000 in the dark as self-driving cars stalled in middle of streets

Published

on

San Francisco power outage left 130,000 in the dark as self-driving cars stalled in middle of streets


San Francisco plunged into darkness when nearly 30 percent of the city was struck by a massive power outage on Saturday night.

Over 130,000 houses and businesses were left in the dark, largely in the northwest part of San Francisco, including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, and Golden Gate Park sections, officials said on Saturday. 

As of early Sunday morning, just over 36,000 people were still without power.

A massive outage knocked out power to 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco on Saturday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said. AP

The “citywide” outages forced Waymo to halt its driverless car service, stranding the autonomous vehicles in the middle of the streets, SF Gate reported.

Advertisement

“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco,” a Waymo spokesperson told the outlet. “We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work.”

The company shut down its operation at around 8 p.m. because the cars were unable to operate without traffic signals. Residents shared footage of the Waymo vehicles parked with their hazards flashing 

At least four Waymo vehicles were parked in the middle of an intersection with their hazards on, creating a large traffic jam at the busy intersection in the North Beach neighborhood, according to video posted to X.

One passenger was left stranded inside one of the self-driving vehicles during the outage, footage obtained by the outlet showed.

A portion of the outages was blamed on a fire that broke out at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation at 8th and Mission streets in downtown San Francisco Saturday afternoon. 

Advertisement
The power outages largely affected the northwest part of San Francisco, including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, and Golden Gate Park sections. SF Emergency/X
The power failure left a large swath of the northern part of the city in the dark, beginning with the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and areas around Golden Gate Park in the early afternoon and growing in size. AP
Two Waymo cars sit idle on the streets of San Francisco during the power outage on Dec. 20, 2025. AP
A Waymo car sits in the middle of an intersection after being unable to operate during the power out. via REUTERS

The outages began as early as 9:40 a.m. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. was aware of the outages and said crews were working to restore power.

Power was restored to approximately 90,000 customers just after 10 p.m. local time, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced on X.

Crews were continuing to work on the remaining 36,000 customers on early Sunday.

“For those of you that do not have power, we want you to make sure you stay safe,” Lurie said.

Traffic builds up on the dark streets of San Francisco during the power outage on Dec. 20, 2025. AP
People celebrating a friend’s birthday sit on a bench during the massive power outage in San Francisco. AP
Pedestrians walk in the dark along Hayes Street during the power outage in San Francisco. AP

The 48-year-old Democrat advised residents to check on neighbors but to remember to blow out all candles they may have been using before going to bed.

Advertisement

“I know there’s a lot going on out there, but people really stepped up tonight and will overnight as well,” Lurie said.

Police officer presence was ramped up in the areas without power to “ensure the safety of those still on the road,” he added.

Cars travel slowly through a an intersection after traffic lights went out. AP
The outage represents roughly one-third of the utility company’s customers in the city. AP

PG&E says the grid has been stabilized, and the company is not expecting any more customers to be affected.

Rail lines and traffic signals were shut down by the outage, with city officials urging residents not to travel for the remainder of the night.

City buses had their routes changed, bypassing certain stops that were affected by the outages.

Advertisement

“Significant transit disruptions” were reported by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management across the city.

With Post wires





Source link

Advertisement

San Francisco, CA

18-year-old dies in crash on I-80 near SoMa district

Published

on

18-year-old dies in crash on I-80 near SoMa district


(KRON)– An 18-year-old is dead, and several others are injured after an early morning crash on eastbound I-80, near the 7th street off ramp in San Francisco’s SoMa district, according to California Highway Patrol San Francisco (CHP SF).

The crash occurred around 1:00 a.m. between a tractor-trailer, a Recology truck semi, and a grey Chevrolet Camaro, according to CHP officials.

Police said the Camaro was traveling eastbound just west of 7th Street when it made an illegal lane change to the right, colliding with the tractor-trailer as it was approaching the off-ramp.

Both vehicles crashed into the sand barrels at the top of the 7th Street off-ramp, officials said. The tractor-trailer continued onto the offramp, where it came to a stop, blocking all lanes.

Advertisement

After hitting the sand barrels, the Camaro continued, launching over the off-ramp bridge railing, where it dropped 25 feet and landed in the San Francisco Police Department Impound parking lot beneath the off-ramp and hitting several vehicles in the impound yard, police said. The Camaro landed upside down on top of another car.

Police said four people were inside the Camaro. The driver, an 18-year-old man, had moderate injuries and managed to get himself out of the car, police said. The right front passenger, a 17-year-old male, suffered moderate injuries as well.

The two rear passengers, both 18-year-old men, suffered major injuries. One is being treated at a local hospital, and the other was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m. at the scene of the crash, police said.

The other three passengers in the Camaro were wearing seatbelts, and the 18-year-old who died was not wearing a seatbelt.

CHP SF officials do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in this crash.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

A 1906 fire burned 200,000 books. More than a century later, one was returned | CNN

Published

on

A 1906 fire burned 200,000 books. More than a century later, one was returned | CNN


Inside a charred book, pages dotted in soot stains tell the story of how San Francisco rose to the epicenter of a gold rush. Barely escaping the 1906 earthquake, this book should’ve burned completely.

The city’s oldest continually operating library presumed it did. After all, almost 200,000 volumes inside the Mechanics’ Institute did. That was until Randall Schwed donated the book to the library in December. Fumbling around an online marketplace, Schwed found “Echoes of the Foot-Hills” listed for $35.

Advertisement

“What’s interesting about this book is that it’s a survivor,” Schwed told CNN. “I needed to send it home.”

Fires heavily damaged the city during the 1906 earthquake and other fires followed. While no one knows which fire the book survived, here’s what we know about the mystery around it.

Library Manager Myles Cooper has been racking his brain for an explanation of how the book found its way home. In a fire after the earthquake that destroyed 200,000 volumes, how could this book emerge more than a century later?

Was it checked out? Was it rescued from the rubble of another fire? Was it hidden somewhere?

Cooper is certain the book is from the institute in San Francisco, evident by a stamp and a date: Dec. 10, 1874. Schwed, a collector, said his first instinct was to research the owner.

Advertisement

Agnes Quigley is inked at the top of the book’s first page.
In 1898, a woman by the name Agnes Quigley posted an advertisement in the San Francisco Call and Post newspaper, Schwed said.

The advertisement is about a young woman and reads, “From East, wishes situation as chambermaid and carer of children.”

There’s no way to prove whether the two Quigleys are the same person, Schwed said. But he has two theories as to how Quigley could have gotten hold of the book. She could have checked the book out. Or Quigley somehow stumbled upon the charred book and inscribed her name inside.

Both theories are plausible, Cooper agreed. He added another theory: There was a “lot of looting in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake.”

“Echoes of the Foot-Hills” isn’t the sole survivor, though. Other volumes, like archival and reference materials, were in a safe at another location during the earthquake, Cooper said. Another book, “Marriages, Rights, Customs and Ceremonies,” survived and was in circulation until 2001.

Advertisement

Now, the soot-spotted book is unavailable for checkout. It is locked in a display case beneath an 1854 map of San Francisco that also survived the earthquake. Nearby, an oversize atlas bears drawings of the earthquake’s activity created by pendulums.

“It’s really kind of like a library fantasy,” Cooper said. “It’s really magical.”

In San Francisco’s Financial District, the Mechanics’ Institute stands two stories tall. The membership organization is home to the nation’s longest-running chess club, writers’ groups and classes.

In the 1850s, the institute was established to provide gold miners with an education. Decades later, in January 1906, the institute merged with the Mercantile Library to form what was the city’s largest library. Three months later, the Institute lost that title.

“Our library was destroyed in ways that many other buildings were not. I mean, it completely fell down,” Cooper said. “There’s only one remaining wall and really only one brick story left, and everything was burned.”

Advertisement

The institute, like San Francisco, began discussing a plan to rebuild, Cooper said. They collected thousands of dollars and books in donations. Many of those books are related to architecture, mining and railroads – the things San Francisco needed to rebuild.

“It’s definitely part of the DNA of San Francisco to rebuild and rethink things, and that we always have a place to save history, and people’s stories won’t be lost,” Cooper said. “We will be a place that can have the capacity to contain those stories.”

As a longtime San Franciscan, Cooper said the earthquake’s story is kept alive through word-of-mouth. Today, no witnesses of the earthquake and fire are alive.

The institute plans to put acid-free cardstock inside the book to explain its story. It’s common practice for an owner to write their name inside an old book. “Echoes of the Foot-Hills” has had three owners in its more than 150-year lifespan: Quigley, Schwed and the institute.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

Giants reassign 3B coach Borg; Wotus named interim replacement

Published

on

Giants reassign 3B coach Borg; Wotus named interim replacement


DENVER — The Giants announced on Friday that they have reassigned third-base coach Hector Borg to a new role within their player development staff. Ron Wotus will fill the third-base coaching role on an interim basis until the organization identifies a permanent replacement.
Borg has made several questionable calls from



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending