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Underground Fire Erupts Near SF City Hall

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Jul 27, 2009 10:34 pm US/Pacific

Underground Fire Erupts Near SF City Hall

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) ― Polk Street in front of San Francisco City Hall reopened Monday night following an investigation into smoke that crept up through manholes in the area, a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman said.

Fire crews were called to the intersection of Polk and McAllister streets around 2:35 p.m. on reports of an underground fire, a fire dispatcher said.

PG&E crews also responded to the scene and Polk Street was closed between Grove and McAllister streets. The air smelled slightly of burned plastic but no smoke was visible.

A hot dog vendor in Civic Center Plaza said he saw smoke coming from a manhole earlier in the afternoon but didn't hear any explosion.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman David Eisenhauer said PG&E waited for the fire department to deem the situation safe before sending investigators underground.

Crews managed to isolate a faulty cable that produced the smoke in an underground vault, Eisenhauer said.

The incident did not affect any PG&E customers, Eisenhauer said, and Polk Street in front of City Hall partially reopened at 8:30 p.m. and has since been completely reopened.

PG&E crews will return to the area at a later date to remove the damaged cable and continue an investigation into the incident. Eisenhauer said investigators will work to determine whether there is any connection between this afternoon's incident and a large vault explosion in June in the area of Polk and O'Farrell streets.

(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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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