Vault fire in SF's Western Addition neighborhood knocks out power near 2 schools
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- An investigation is underway after an underground vault fire knocked out power overnight in San Francisco, disrupting the start of the school day for two nearby schools and leaving several customers without electricity Monday morning.
The fire broke out just before midnight in the area of Geary Boulevard between Scott and Steiner streets in the city's Western Addition neighborhood near Japantown.
As of Monday morning, about five customers remained without power, including a nearby shopping center and two schools that operate in the same building, according to officials at the scene.
A video shared by a viewer showed flames near KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy and Gateway High School on Scott Street near Geary Boulevard.
In the video, a person can be heard saying, "Oh my God it is really burning now. We're getting nothing but black smoke now."
App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window
PG&E said the underground vault fire was caused by equipment failure. At one point, more than 1,200 people lost power, according to the utility.
The outage continued to affect the two public charter schools Monday morning. Students were inside the building while administrators evaluated the situation.
Ayana Kelley, whose daughter attends one of the schools, said she decided to take her child home.
Top Stories
"Because they're not going to be able to really do anything in the classrooms, because a majority of the things that they do are on, like laptops and things of that nature that need to be plugged in and charged," Kelley said.
After the fire, burn marks were visible on the sidewalk and parking meters near the scene appeared charred.
San Francisco Fire Department Capt. Mariano Elias said firefighters allowed the blaze to burn itself out and coordinated their response with PG&E.
"These do happen every once in a while and we do respond to them. We do work together with our partners, PG and E, to make sure that the residents are safe and that we don't apply water to any electrical or oil fires," Elias said.
The cause of the equipment failure remains under investigation.
