Two SF vault fires in 30 days; officials demand investigation

By Samantha McGirr
The Public Press

An underground electrical vault that recently burst into flames at Fourth and Market streets, marks the second explosion at a PG&E sub-station in just over a month, KGO reported Monday. City officials are now demanding an investigation.

No injuries were reported in the electrical fire, which firefighters quelled with carbon dioxide as opposed to water.

A much larger vault explosion on June 5 at Polk and O’Farrell streets preceded the incident, The Public Press reported last month. That fire lasted two hours and included flames shooting 20 feet high.

San Francisco has experienced 16 vault fires in the past five years, one in 2005 seriously injuring a woman. In addition to this high number of fires, PG&E has a record of inconsistent service, with power outages twice the national average for electricity providers.

Mayor Gavin Newsom acknowledged PG&E has made some improvements in its service, maintaining, “It’s just not the progress that we need to see in an aging environment, an aging infrastructure in San Francisco.”

The company responded with a promise to continue raising its level of service.

“It’s true that we need to do more and we certainly recognize that we need to do more," said PG&E rep Joe Molica. "Our top priorities are reliability and safety for our customers."

 

Don't miss out on our newest articles, episodes and events!
Sign up for our newsletter