A power outage plunged San Francisco's historic Ferry Building and surrounding waterfront areas into darkness for three hours on Wednesday morning, impacting numerous businesses and disrupting daily operations. The unplanned outage began at 6:42 a.m. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) reported that approximately 455 customers were affected until power was restored around 9:30 a.m.
The disruption affected morning businesses within the Ferry Building, including popular coffee shops like Blue Bottle and Red Bay Coffee. Many establishments had to close their gates, and interior lights were out, creating a significant impact during peak morning hours for the landmark, which draws about 24 million visitors annually and houses numerous restaurants, cafes, and shops.
Local reports indicated that some nearby traffic signals and pedestrian crossing signs also ceased functioning during the outage. The cause of the power disruption is currently under investigation by PG&E, according to a company spokesperson. Crews were dispatched to inspect the electrical system and repair damaged components.
This incident marks the latest in a series of power outages to affect the Bay Area, frustrating residents and businesses. In late July, an unexpected outage impacted nearly 9,400 customers in San Francisco. Another PG&E outage occurred approximately two weeks prior near the Oakland Coliseum BART station, causing significant train delays when a wire fell onto the tracks.
According to PG&E's website, unplanned outages can result from various factors, including vehicle accidents, severe weather, or tree branches interfering with power lines. The utility company utilizes Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, which automatically de-energize power lines in response to detected issues to prevent wildfires.
As of Wednesday afternoon, PG&E's outage map showed two other ongoing power outages in the San Francisco area, each affecting between 50 and 499 customers.