Money-Burning Fire at Fed Bank Branch Turns Cash to Ash
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PORTLAND, Ore. — There was money to burn--literally--in Portland when a fire in a vault at the Federal Reserve Bank branch damaged an undisclosed amount of currency.
Welders working in an upper vault Monday apparently let some hot slag fall through a vent into another vault below, leading to the blaze early Tuesday, fire officials said.
Fire crews had to use a torch to cut their way into the vault, which was sealed by a time lock. The burning money was removed and doused, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Reserve branch said relatively few $20 bills were singed but declined to give a total amount.
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