Results tagged “manhole”

Today's TL fire? Well, here's your problem...

Gavin wants your fat. According to Renewable Energy Access, yesterday our dear Mayor implemented a new program that will collect fats, oil, and grease from the city restaurants free of charge.Why? So that they can be to turn into biofuel to power city-owned vehicles. The program is called SFGreasecycle. Ew. But: awesome. Said fat and oil, when poured down the drain, "solidifies into thick layers inside drainpipes and sewer pipes, constricting water flow the...

Yet another PG&E manhole blew up this weekend -- this time, at 5:30 on Sunday at Market and Powell. PG&E blames a faulty cable and says it was no big deal. A witness at the time, however, said he saw flames shooting up out of the ground.

There was a sewage spill on Ocean Beach last night. Wasn't Daniela Kirschenbaum just talking about this? A manhole cover blew out around 11 p.m., which allowed not only water but what we'll delicately call "SFSOS effluvia" to leak onto the beach. The affected area is about 150 feet of the beach, from the base of the Cliff House going west.

We missed the Arcade Fire show this weekend but: The Power's Out -- in the Heart of Man! (shicka shicka bell bell). Haven't we already heard this story? Yet another PG&E underground vault blew up this afternoon, injuring a passerby -- but this time in Berkeley, at Bancroft and Telegraph. A manhole cover was blown off by the blast, hitting a person driving by in his car. The airbags on the car deploying, injuring the driver. There was a small fire, which is now out, and about 2200 people were without power. And speaking of the Ralph Lauren explosion, PG&E confirmed today that the August 19th explosion was caused by a misaligned gasket that allowed water to leak into the vault and short out the transformer. PG&E didn't know if this was the same cause of today's Berkeley explosion but said they'd look into it. During all this, PG&E crews were also scrambling to get to yet another blackout in Cow Hollow this afternoon, after a car hit a power pole. How was that Arcade Fire show, anyways? Image from the Arcade Fire Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) video

There's been an underground explosion at Post and Kearny, right outside the Ralph Lauren store at the Crocker Galleria. At around 10 a.m., people said they heard an explosion and saw the sidewalk rise up about 6-7 inches. Two manhole covers were blown off, as was a concrete cover, and the explosion blew up the glass front of the Ralph Lauren store. One woman was sent to the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening, burns. We wish her a speedy recovery. The authorities suspect that an underground transformer blew, but the bomb squad is going in before they let PG&E look around. Parts of Post, Sutter, Montgomery, and Kearny have been cordoned off as the investigation continues. Not a good day for PG&E, who just got hit with a possible $15 million fine for the 2003 above-ground transformer explosion. In other news, there was also a bomb scare at Civic Center (which was cleared without incident) around the same time. Meanwhile, the authorities are also worrying that the beached whale we told you about in Half Moon Bay might explode as well. (Really!) Also -- Flickr users, ABC News 7 wants to use your digital photos of the blast if you have any.

75 Oakland PD officers were called in to assist a party on a Blue and Gold Ferry that got a little out of control on Sunday. The boat made an emergency docking to break up the several fights that had broken out among the 650+ passengers, and to get medical attention for another passenger that had passed out. UC Berkeley has confirmed that its chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi frat was involved and is investigating. A previous Kappa Alpha Psi party in 2000 led to a riot on Telegraph Avenue of overflow attendees denied entry. Also on Sunday, a sewer exploded in San Jose. Four manhole covers blew off after someone put something explosive into the system. Beans, beans, the magical fruit.