A gas leak on Beretania Street triggered a 15-hour repair job that backed up traffic for miles yesterday morning, prompted the closure of a state building whose 300 workers couldn't get to their offices and left several Downtown buildings and a condominium without power.

The leak is also believed to be to blame for a small explosion in a communications room at the Leiopapa o Kamehameha Building, also known as the State Office Tower, at 12:40 a.m. yesterday. Firefighters were in the building at the time, investigating reports from workers that they smelled gas.

No one was injured, but the explosion damaged the room.

"It blew out the door and the windows," said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman. Yesterday, equipment with wiring was seen hanging out of one of the room's windows.

The explosion didn't cause a fire but did kick off a frantic search for the source of the gas leak. Firefighters sealed off the area, closing Beretania and Alakea streets, while Gas Co. crews looked for the leak. They found it at about 8:30 a.m., and spent much of the day on repairs.

For morning commuters, the road closures in the heart of Downtown Honolulu set off a traffic headache that still wasn't resolved well into the afternoon. The Vineyard Boulevard off-ramp from H-1 town-bound was backed up for nearly a mile yesterday morning, and traffic was also slow on the Likelike and Pali highways. Some people reported getting to work late, while others — fed up with inching along — parked their cars where they could and walked.

Sandra Theunick, the head of St. Andrew's Priory School, which is not in session, said her husband dropped her off several blocks from the school because she could walk faster than cars were moving. The gas leak was in front of St. Andrew's Cathedral, which is next to the school.

"A lot of people parked and walked," Theunick said.

CREWS TO RETURN

Though there no longer is a leak, crews will return today for more work on the pipeline.

Officials say the work will be done after this morning's rush hour, and will only require closing some lanes.

The State Office Tower will remain closed this morning while crews check again for any gas problems and restore power to the building. The tower could reopen by this afternoon, though workers are being told not to report until they get the go-ahead from their supervisors.

In addition to causing a traffic nightmare, the gas leak disrupted state business.

The Capitol building was open yesterday, but workers had difficulty getting there.

Meanwhile, the 16-story State Office Tower that was closed is home to a number of departments, including the Department of Human Resources Development. About 300 state workers who have offices in the building couldn't get to work, so many of them ended up going home.

Some worked from other offices or were able to do their work from home computers.

WORK INTERRUPTED

All of the employees will be paid for the day and for any portion of today they miss. Officials said they did not know how much the tower closure cost the state.

Marie Laderta, human resources development director, said about 60 percent of her employees can work from home.

The department has about 150 employees. "We continued to work," she said.

The tower also is home to the state Land Use Commission, which was scheduled to meet yesterday on the Ho'opili development for West O'ahu. The meeting, which probably would have been well-attended, was canceled. A meeting on the project set for today also was canceled.

Makakilo resident Nada Mangialetti was trying to get to the meeting yesterday. Frustrated by traffic, she parked a few minutes away and walked. When she got just past the Capitol, she was blocked by police tape and several state deputy sheriffs.

"It's like a ghost town," she said of a traffic-free Beretania Street. "Everything is closed down."

Beretania was closed until about 2 p.m. yesterday, when crews opened three lanes.

All lanes were open in time for the afternoon commute.

Alakea Street, which had been closed from Beretania to Hotel streets, was reopened earlier.

The explosion at the State Office Tower was still under investigation, but firefighters said the gas was from elsewhere and had likely leaked in through conduits, creating a gas buildup in the room. There are no gas lines in the tower, though some nearby buildings have gas lines.

The explosion was on the mezzanine level of the tower. The fire department spent hours yesterday checking the building for other gas pockets and found none. Two nearby buildings were also checked as a precaution. Fire crews left the scene about 2:30 p.m.

POTENTIAL DANGER

Gas Co. spokeswoman Stephanie Ackerman said the leak was "Grade 1," meaning it posed a potential danger to people. There are about 170 such leaks each year that the Gas Co. responds to at buildings and homes, and most are caused by people accidentally damaging a line. It's unknown what caused the leak on Beretania, she said.

The leak prompted Hawaiian Electric Co. to cut off power to about 50 customers to reduce the potential for spark ignition. Buildings whose electricity was cut off included Washington Place, the Hawai'i State Art Museum and Pinnacle Honolulu, a 35-unit condominium. All of them had power again by 1 p.m. Part of Central Middle School also was without power briefly.

Yesterday morning, Pinnacle Honolulu site manager Diane Romero fielded calls from residents, also trying to make sure the building's equipment didn't short-circuit once the power came back on. She said the condominium was without water, and some residents were running out of patience. "A lot of them are booking hotels," she said.