SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The San Francisco Fire Department says five workers have been found safe after a gas explosion and fire and that no injuries have been reported.
Three-story flames in a neighborhood could be seen leaping into the air Wednesday in television images from Parker Avenue and Geary Boulevard in the Richmond district.
A witness told KGO that the fire was at the Hong Kong Lounge II, which was under construction.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White says workers installing fiber-optic wires at a business cut a natural gas line. She says Pacific Gas & Electric has responded to try to stop the flow of gas.
Police spokesman Robert Rueca says the fire was reported around 1:10 p.m. and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
San Francisco police asked people in nearby buildings to evacuate and closed neighboring streets.
Augustine Ruiz, a spokesman for the United States Postal Service, says a post office nearby was evacuated. He says the fire did not originate from the post office.
Watch video from the fire in the player below:
