Like a little Christmas gift from PG&E, a manhole cover blew off at 3rd and Mission Streets last evening in a festive display caused by an underground vault fire.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening, as ABC 7 reports. Passersby were scared by the loud boom, and traffic was disrupted for an hour or two.
No injuries were reported, thankfully, but these things are dangerous, and vault fires like the one last night are what PG&E has been hoping to prevent after a recent revelation of fraudulent inspections by contractors and employees that put them at risk for equipment fires. The report on those inspections indicated that they were mostly in the South Bay, but this fire and manhole explosion may suggest otherwise.
