Watch CBS News

Small Electrical Fire In San Francisco City Hall Basement, Ballots Safe

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)—A small electrical fire that started in the basement at San Francisco City Hall was quickly put out Tuesday night causing minor damage and no injuries, fire officials said.

The fire started when an electrical panel exploded in the basement just after 9:30 p.m. Overhead sprinklers, activated by the smoke detectors, put out the fire.

Fire crews cleared the smoke from the basement and mopped floors. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Kenney said that no ballots from last week's election were damaged.

"It was nowhere near the elections department, fortunately. That's on the other side of the building on the Van Ness side. This was all confined to Polk street side," he said.

Power was shut off temporarily while firefighters did their investigation but City Hall was opened for business as usual on Wednesday morning.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.