On Sunday, December 29, 2025, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. reported that a transformer fire in San Francisco cut power to 11,000 customers in the city’s Richmond District. The incident occurred while the company was in the process of restoring service after a larger outage that left 130,000 customers without power on December 20. The fire forced PG & E to shut down the transformer and deploy temporary generators to keep a portion of the district supplied.
The outage underscores a pattern of reliability challenges that have drawn regulatory scrutiny. PG & E has been under pressure to improve wildfire‑mitigation measures, including system hardening, undergrounding powerlines, and implementing Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) and Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Despite these efforts, equipment failures continue to surface, as evidenced by the recent transformer fire and the earlier substation incident.
Management acknowledged the impact on customers. Spokesperson Matt Nauman said, “We appreciate our customers’ patience throughout the past week.” The statement reflects the company’s ongoing effort to maintain service while addressing safety risks, but it also highlights the operational strain of managing multiple outages in quick succession.
The repeated outages raise concerns about PG & E’s ability to meet reliability standards and could prompt further regulatory action or accelerated investment in grid upgrades. The company’s monopoly status in San Francisco means that any reliability shortfall directly affects the entire city’s power supply, amplifying the business risk associated with wildfire‑related incidents.
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