Bank Office Closed by Methane Buildup
A Wells Fargo Bank office in the Fairfax District--near the site of a 1985 methane gas explosion that injured 21 people--remained closed Thursday after an apparent buildup of methane was discovered inside a bank wall.
Kim Kellogg, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based bank, said about 15 employees of the branch were evacuated Wednesday after an inspector monitoring the building for methane odors removed an electrical plate from the wall and was hit by heavy fumes.
The office, at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, will remain closed until the source of the fumes has been pinpointed, Kellogg said.
The 1985 explosion occured a few blocks from the bank branch in the basement of a Ross Dress for Less store across from Farmers Market.
The entire neighborhood lies above a gas pocket formed from decomposed plant materials buried 100 to 200 feet underground. The pocket has been seeping gas to the surface for thousands of years.
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