Power Cut Off in Tokyo After Fire Associated Press Online ( July 21, 2001 )

TOKYO, Jul 21, 2001 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Downtown Tokyo experienced power outages Saturday after an underground circuit box caught fire, utility and fire officials said.

Nobody was hurt by the fire, which temporarily cut off electricity to 1,300 buildings in Tokyo's Yaesu business district on Saturday morning.

Power was restored to all buildings in the area about 90 minutes after the fire, which may have been started by a short circuit, said Daiichi Ohashi, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Fire fighters found smoking cables, but the fire had already extinguished itself, said Koji Matsumoto, a spokesman for the Tokyo Fire Department.

Bystanders told Japanese television that they heard several explosions before seeing smoke waft up from a gutter grate, but neither official was able to confirm that a blast had occurred.

http://199.97.97.163/IMDS%PMANAT0%read%/home/content/users/imds/feeds/comtex/2001/07/21/ao/0000-5596-japan-power-outage

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 21, 2001

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Nipponese Manhole covers?

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 21, 2001.