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San Francisco fire officials describe four-hour underground vault blaze, cite PG&E DC-cable failure
Summary
Deputy Chief Patrick Gardner said the June 5 manhole vault fire burned for more than four hours, involved mineral oil (no PCBs reported), and exposed miscommunication about power shutdowns; PG&E said it will retire the city's DC system and is reviewing acceleration of that schedule.
Deputy Chief Patrick Gardner of the San Francisco Fire Department on July 17 summarized the June 5 underground vault fire at Van Ness and O'Farrell, saying first responders faced heavy smoke and a multi-agency response that lasted into the early morning.
Gardner said crews discovered fire inside a vault fed by two 9-by-12 vaults linked by a four-foot raceway and that mineral oil—not PCBs—was burning. "We sheltered people in place," Gardner said, and set up a unified command with police and other first responders…
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