This Week's Top Stories

public safety

Underground PG&E Vault Fire Erupts Beneath the Financial District; Shelter-in-Place Lifted by Midmorning

Four electrical vaults blew beneath California and Front streets early Thursday, forcing evacuations and a shelter-in-place order across several blocks — all lifted without injuries by 11 a.m.

An underground electrical fire broke out just after 6 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, sending smoke billowing from PG&E vaults beneath the 100–200 block of California Street in the heart of the Financial District. The San Francisco Fire Department responded at approximately 6:04 a.m. after reports of smoke coming from several nearby vaults, and what began as a single reported vault fire quickly escalated: four vaults in the area experienced eruptions by 8:30 a.m., according to fire officials.

Fleet Week

Fleet Week Returns to the Embarcadero October 4–12, Blue Angels Set for Three-Day Air Show

San Francisco's annual Fleet Week kicks off Sunday along the northern waterfront, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels performing over the Bay on October 9, 10, and 11.

San Francisco Fleet Week 2026 runs October 4 through 12, bringing more than a week of military band performances, free ship tours, the Parade of Ships, and the signature Blue Angels air show to the city's waterfront. The event is one of the largest free public gatherings in the United States, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the bay each October.

retail

Uniqlo Opens Market Street Flagship This Friday, Five Years After Closing Its Powell Street Store

The Japanese retailer's new 20,315-square-foot, two-floor store at 801 Market Street — in a former Old Navy space — opens October 9 with a repair studio, custom printing, and local artist collaborations.

Uniqlo returns to downtown San Francisco this Friday, October 9, opening a flagship store at 801 Market Street. The 20,315-square-foot, two-story space occupies a site formerly associated with Old Navy, which closed there in 2023, just two blocks from the Powell Street location Uniqlo shuttered in 2021 during the pandemic wave of retail closures that also took H&M and Gap from the area.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, October 4

Pickwick Vintage Show & HEAD WEST Marketplace at the Ferry Building

📍 San Francisco Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building · 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Verify · Ferry Building Marketplace

Sunday, October 4 – Monday, October 12

San Francisco Fleet Week 2026 — Ship Tours, Parade of Ships & Blue Angels

📍 Embarcadero Piers 15/17, 27, 30/32, 35 and waterfront · Various times · Verify · navyweek.org / fleetweeksf.org

Thursday, October 8

Music on the Plaza — Ferry Building

📍 Ferry Building North Plaza, 1 Ferry Building · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM · Verify · Ferry Building Marketplace

Friday, October 9

Uniqlo Market Street Flagship Grand Opening

📍 801 Market St. (at Fourth St.) · 11:00 AM · Verify · SFist

Sunday, October 25

World of Dumplings Festival — Ferry Building

📍 San Francisco Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building · 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Verify · Funcheap SF

More from the Community

Sue Bierman Playground at Embarcadero Park Closed Through October 15 for Tree Work

The Sue Bierman Playground inside Embarcadero Park is closed from Monday, September 28 through Thursday, October 15, and is scheduled to reopen by Friday, October 16.

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