From Sfgate · · 1m 10s
Financial District Fire Sparks Evacuations
Underground electrical fire in San Francisco triggers evacuations and gridlock.
In brief
Underground electrical fire in San Francisco triggers evacuations and gridlock. San Francisco firefighters battled an underground electrical fire at vaults near California and Front streets on Oct. 1, 2026, causing evacuations and gridlock traffic. Originally reported by Sfgate.
Fire in Financial District Vaults
San Francisco firefighters battled an underground electrical blaze near California and Front streets on Oct. 1, 2026.
Evacuations and Shelter-in-Place Order
The areas of 100 to 200 California St. and 100 to 200 Front St. were evacuated with a shelter-in-place order issued due to smoke.
Three Vaults Believed to Have Caught Fire
Three concrete vaults housing electrical equipment are believed to have caught fire near the intersection of California and Front streets.
Firefighters and PG&E on Scene
Seventy San Francisco Fire Department members and PG&E crews are working to secure the area and extinguish the fire.
No Known Cause or Customer Outages
PG&E stated the cause of the fire is unknown and there are no customer outages associated with this incident.
No Injuries Reported
No injuries have been reported at this time as the fire is being contained.
The big picture
San Francisco firefighters battled an underground electrical fire at vaults near California and Front streets on Oct. 1, 2026, causing evacuations and gridlock traffic.
