This incident blew Beyond the Beyond off the web yesterday

(((Hey, the Internet is one thing, but nobody ever said that the
*electrical power system* is a resilient, decentralized network.)))

Link: Power restored in San Francisco.

The problem began when breakers in the utility's transmission service opened for an unknown reason, Chiu said. Every time workers attempted to close those breakers to restore service, it caused voltage fluctuations – high and low flows of electricity through the system – that impacted PG&E's Martin Substation in Daly City, she said.

That, in turn, caused a transformer to fail in a manhole under 560
Mission St. Witnesses reported hearing a blast shortly before 2 p.m. and then seeing flames licking up through the manhole grate. Chiu said PG&E
could not confirm that an explosion had occurred. No one was injured....