A large, unplanned power outage knocked out electricity across Haight Ashbury, the Western Addition, and surrounding San Francisco neighborhoods today, leaving PG&E crews scrambling to restore service and residents once again checking their phones for outage maps. The blackout struck at a time when the area was still recovering from a separate incident just days earlier, adding to a stretch of grid trouble that has repeatedly hit San Francisco throughout 2026.
According to the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, the outage is affecting PG&E customers in Haight Ashbury, the Western Addition, and adjacent areas. The department's outage map shows the impacted zone stretching across neighborhoods, including Lower Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, and areas near Fell Street and Geary Boulevard, with customer impact categories ranging from as few as one to more than 5,000 affected accounts. The map also flags a Community Resource Center and marks areas under Public Safety Power Shutoff status, though it does not specify which category applies to this particular event.
A large, unplanned power outage is impacting PG&E customers in Haight Ashbury, Western Addition, and adjacent areas.
— San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (@SF_emergency) August 29, 2026
For the most current outage information, visit: https://t.co/DthlRd2zLd Visit PG&E’s Outage Center or call 1-800-743-5002 for real-time outage maps, updates, and… pic.twitter.com/1h7sYThwBF
Residents looking for updates can check PG&E's Outage Center, which the utility operates to provide real-time outage maps, restoration estimates, and status updates, or call 1-800-743-5002 for the latest information. The city's emergency management department also offers text alerts, which residents can sign up for by texting their zip code to 888-777.
A Familiar Corner of the City Goes Dark Again
Saturday's blackout comes just five days after a late-night PG&E underground vault fire at Geary Boulevard and Scott Street in the Western Addition cut power to more than 1,200 customers and damaged sidewalk infrastructure near KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy and Gateway High School, according to SFist. Equipment failure was identified as the cause of that earlier fire, the outlet reported, raising fresh questions about the reliability of aging infrastructure in the same stretch of the neighborhood.
The Western Addition and Haight Ashbury are no strangers to major blackouts. A massive fire at PG&E's Mission and 8th Streets substation on December 20, 2025 knocked out power to roughly 130,000 homes and businesses — about 30% of San Francisco — leaving both neighborhoods without electricity for more than 48 hours, per the Wind Newspaper. PG&E later issued automatic bill credits of $200 for residential customers and $2,500 for businesses affected by that outage, the same report noted.
A Year Full of Blackouts Across the City
Saturday's outage extends a pattern that has played out across San Francisco all year. Just three weeks ago, an unplanned blackout on August 10 left Russian Hill, North Beach, and Chinatown without power in what Hoodline reported was the fifth significant citywide outage of 2026, with city alerts directing residents to sign up for AlertSF text notifications. Days later, on August 13, another unplanned PG&E outage struck the Outer Sunset and Lakeshore neighborhoods, darkening traffic signals across the west side, Hoodline reported at the time.
Earlier in the year, a morning outage on March 15 cut power to more than 3,600 customers across the Outer Richmond and Sea Cliff, darkening commercial corridors and coastal trail areas while crews needed several hours to isolate the damaged circuits. And in April, a blackout in Nob Hill prompted emergency officials to remind residents of federal food safety guidance: refrigerated food stays safe for up to four hours in a closed fridge, 24 hours in a half-full freezer, and 48 hours in a full freezer, with officials urging residents to keep those doors shut.
The disruptions have not been confined to San Francisco proper. On August 14, an early-morning outage darkened nearly 4,600 customer accounts in Belmont on the Peninsula, affecting traffic signals along State Route 82 during the morning commute and knocking out power to nearly half the city's housing units, according to Hoodline's earlier report.
What Drivers Should Know at Dark Intersections
With traffic signals down across the affected area, drivers face a legal obligation under California law. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21800(d)(1), motorists approaching any intersection where signals are inoperative due to a power outage must treat it as a stop sign, coming to a complete stop before proceeding with caution, according to Cron Israels & Stark. Failing to do so can carry total fine assessments exceeding $490.
The Bigger Fight Over San Francisco's Power Grid
The repeated outages are playing out against a broader political backdrop. On July 9, the San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously certified the final Environmental Impact Report for the city's proposed acquisition of PG&E's local electric distribution grid, a network serving roughly 385,000 customer accounts, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The SFPUC already supplies power to about 75% of the city but does not currently own the distribution grid itself, per the agency.
Localized fires have repeatedly rippled through the grid in nearby districts as well. A two-alarm church fire in Pacific Heights on July 19 triggered an electrical outage that left 3,125 PG&E customers without power, with police conducting door-to-door safety checks during the incident, according to ABC7 News. Taken together with Saturday's outage, the incidents underscore why grid reliability has become such a central issue in the city's push toward public power.
As of Saturday afternoon, the extent of the outage's cause and expected restoration time had not been detailed beyond the department's initial alert. Residents in the affected area can monitor PG&E's outage map for updates as crews work to restore service.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
