Power outage cripples San Francisco for 7 hours
April 22, 2017  08:49
A massive power outage threw San Francisco into chaos for most of the work day, knocking out traffic signals, paralysing businesses and halting the city's famed cable cars.

The power outage, which was triggered by a fire in a PG&E Corp utility substation, disrupted San Francisco's normally bustling financial district, home to banks and technology companies.

The blackout at one point affected nearly 90,000 customers, according to PG&E. The cause of the fire was a circuit breaker failure at the substation, PG&E spokesman Paul Doherty said.

Office workers unable to access elevators or use their keycards spilled out onto the sidewalks, some wandering the streets in search of an open cafe or sunny spot to enjoy a rare warm San Francisco day. Others simply went home, with long lines forming for ferries. For many, there was little to do but wait.
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