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PG&E Investigates Fire In Downtown SF Underground Vault

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- PG&E officials said some San Francisco customers might experience brief power outages Thursday evening as crews work to repair damaged equipment in an underground vault that sparked a fire Thursday afternoon.

The fire was caused by a failed secondary fuse and not a cable failure as PG&E initially reported, utility spokesman Jason King said.

The cause of the equipment failure is under investigation and King said it was not known at what time repairs would be completed.

The fire occurred around 2:45 p.m. in an underground vault in the area of Clay and Kearny streets, and firefighters and police officers responded to the scene.

Police had shut down streets in the area, but the streets have since reopened.

Kearny Street was closed between Clay and California streets; Clay Street was closed between Grant and Kearny streets; and the immediate area around Portsmouth Square was also closed.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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