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Manhole Cover Explosion Caused By Underground Fire In Downtown San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A manhole cover explosion in downtown San Francisco Tuesday evening was caused by an underground vault fire, a PG&E spokesman said.

The manhole cover blew about 5 p.m. near the corner of Third and Mission streets, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

No injuries were reported, but streets were closed down in the area, PG&E and fire officials said.

The fire was quickly extinguished, and PG&E was alerted to the fire at 5:14 p.m., PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

PG&E crews confirmed the fire was caused by an underground PG&E equipment failure. The fire did not cause any power outages in the area and no customers were impacted, Guidi said.

Streets in the area remain closed and there is no estimated time that they will reopen, Guidi said.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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