Jun 8, 2009 5:27 pm US/Pacific
2 Fires In 4 Years; SF Mayor Wants PG&E To Explain
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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Fire pours through a manhole at Polk and O'Farrell streets in San Francisco.
AP
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials said Monday that they had not yet determined what caused a major underground fire in San Francisco's Tenderloin district that left 8,600 residents and business owners without power for hours.
But San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said PG&E had some explaining to do because Friday's blast was the second major underground fire to occur in the last four years.
Utility crews remained at the scene at Polk and O'Farrell streets Monday afternoon, removing damaged equipment as the investigation into the cause continued.
PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Zerwer said that crews were working "around the clock" to figure out what went wrong.
In August 2005, an underground fire that began in a PG&E vault wreaked havoc on the city's Financial District when flames spiraled out of a manhole on Kearney Street, critically injuring a woman.
That fire was caused by high levels of moisture in the oil inside the high-voltage chambers on the transformer. A subsequent follow-up indicated that five additional transformers within the city limits had high moisture levels.
Following the 2005 fire, there were several less-intense fires throughout the city, but then on Friday, another major underground fire broke out at the corner of Polk and O'Farrell.
The ensuing fire sent flames twisting 20 feet into the sky, and plumes of thick, chemical-smelling smoke billowing into the surrounding neighborhood.
At least one building was evacuated and residents and business owners were told to shelter in place. There were no reports of any injuries.
Mayor Newsom said he would be dialoguing with the utility company and hoped for some honest discussion on why these fires have continued to erupt.
"I've been at this a lot as mayor of San Francisco, some more problematic events, not just this event. We'll work through them," said Newsom.
Newsom indicated that he wants to establish some sort of plan that would ensure that these vault fires never happen again.
PG&E's Zerwer did not have an estimate on when the cause would be determined, but vowed: "We're conducting a very thorough investigation."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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