Power expected to be fully restored in SF by Tuesday at 6 a.m., PG&E says

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- PG&E is working to get the power back on after a massive power outage in San Francisco following a fire at a substation.

The number of outages is down to 3,800 PG&E customers as of Monday afternoon.

PG&E also said, power is expected to be fully restored by 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

PG&E said during a press conference at noon Monday that it would take longer than its initial 2 p.m. estimate to restore power to all customers.

PG&E said it has been focusing on the fire at its substation while addressing the restoration process. PG&E said 96% of customers will have power by 2 p.m.

"I would like to stress that the damage from the fire in our substation has been significant and extensive, requiring complex, safety focused repairs. Naturally, the fire had to be addressed before we could start the restoration process. Once it was safe to do so, we mobilized every available engineer and electrician into the city, as you can see behind me, to accelerate the restoration process."

While the fire contributed to the power outage, PG&E said a third-party firm is investigating the cause.

"We do not know yet the root cause of the fire and the outage given the extensive damage that our equipment experienced inside the station as a result of the fire, this damage included damaging one of our critical system components known as a circuit breaker, which is a safety switch that de-energizes electricity when there's an issue that's detected on the electrical system."

Initial reports say power outages began in the Richmond District/Sunset District around 9 a.m. with more than 14,000 customers, but PG&E said there is no record of that, and outages began just after 1 p.m. The fire was reported after 2 p.m.

"The reported outages in the morning is some misreporting, so our teams are clarifying that and engaging there were no outages that we experienced and confirmed on our system in the Richmond District."

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The west side of the city, including Golden Gate Park and the Presidio are the most impacted by the power outage.

Many residents lined up at the Richmond Recreation Center, where more than 1,300 people stopped to get water, snacks, portable battery chargers.

PG&E said it's working with the 211 Providers Network to conduct wellness checks of customers by knocking door to door.

It said anyone in need of assistance should call 211.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie said he wants everyone to stock up on non-perishables, flashlights, batteries to be ready for the storm coming later this week.

ABC7 News asked Mayor Lurie about the PG&E investigation and why it's taking so long to restore power.

"They call it a catastrophic fire and an incident I've been told they've only seen 2-3 times in decades. There's a lot of questions that I have," he said.

MORE: Videos show Waymo cars stuck at San Francisco intersections during massive power outage

Waymo, the operator of driverless ride-hailing vehicles, was also impacted by the massive power outage in San Francisco.

Residents can get updates on Muni operations here.

MORE: Impacted by the SF power outage? Here's how to file a claim with PG&E

PG&E announced on Monday afternoon, the utility company will issue bill credits to residents and businesses that were impacted by the massive power outage.

Residents will receive an automatic $200 credit to their bill, and businesses will receive a $2,500 credit.

PG&E says customers do not need to file a claim.

Credits will appear on the bills as "Customer Satisfaction Adjustment."

Even with the bill credits, PG&E said if customers choose to, "they can also pursue a separate claims process for extended outages."

"We recognize the significant impact this outage had on our customers, and we are committed to providing immediate and meaningful support," said Vincent Davis, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, in a press release. "We are making this as fast and easy as possible for our customers. The credits are one way we are working to restore trust and ensure our customers receive the assistance they deserve."