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There was a blackout for several hours in America’s San Francisco city on Saturday. About 1.24 lakh consumers were affected. Metro, shops, driverless taxis and theater services came to a standstill. A fire in an electricity substation is being said to be the possible cause. Thousands of people remained without electricity even late at night.
A major blackout was seen in San Francisco city, considered the technology hub of America, on Saturday evening. Due to the power cut that lasted for several hours, about one-third of the city was in darkness. The situation became such that people were seen walking on the streets in the light of mobile flashlights and shops and restaurants had to be closed in many areas. According to poweroutage.com, about 40 thousand consumers were still without electricity till 9:30 pm on Saturday night. Earlier in the evening this number had reached around 1 lakh 30 thousand.
Which areas were affected?
There are a total of about 4 lakh 14 thousand electricity consumers in San Francisco. The effect of power cut was more visible in the northern part of the city. The Richmond and Sunset districts, as well as many areas from Hat Ashbury to downtown, were plunged into darkness. The western area around Golden Gate Park and the area towards the Presidio were also affected. Even the famous dome of City Hall was visible in darkness.
Driverless taxi also had to be stopped
According to a New York Times report, many stores and mass transit stations had to be closed due to the blackout. San Francisco Ballet cancels Nutcracker show. Despite being a tech city, the situation worsened so much that even Waymo, a driverless taxi company, had to temporarily stop its services.
Why did the electricity fail?
According to the Fire Department, the fire incident occurred at the Pacific Gas and Electric Substation located in the center of the city. This five-storey building is without windows. The fire was reported around 2 pm. The fire brigade advised people to stay away from the area around 8th and Mission Street. Officials said fire could be a factor in the power outage, but whether it was the only cause could not be confirmed.
What did the electricity company say?
PG&E said on social media platform X that it is working with emergency teams and city officials to handle the situation. The company claimed that the grid has been stabilized and there is no possibility of further power cuts. However, many people received messages that it may take several hours for power to be restored.
What was the effect of power cut?
People’s problems increased due to power failure on the weekend just before Christmas. Digital payment systems did not work in many places. Initially the mobile network remained operational, but after Wi-Fi was switched off the data speed became very slow. Some towers also stopped working. Bay Area Rapid Transit closed the Powell Street and Civic Center stations in downtown. Muni light rail service was also affected because the train control system was affected by the power cut. Traffic continued to flow in most areas, although drivers had to drive carefully due to signal closure.
