HONOLULU -- Police reopened Alakea Street in downtown Honolulu after crews found the source of a gas leak under Beretania Street, according to a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.

Police closed Beretania Street, between Punchbowl and Alakea streets. Alakea Street, between Hotel and Beretania Streets, was reopened at about 10 a.m.

Workers in the Leiopapa building, also known as the State Office Tower, on Beretania Street near Alakea smelled gas at about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. Firefighters evacuated the building and everyone was safely outside when an explosion happened more than two hours later in a room on the mezzanine.

"It appears that it's done some damage but nothing major structure wise -- damage to a door to a window," Capt. Terry Seelig said.

There was no fire, but the blast shattered a window and sent furnishings flying.

Crews discovered the leak coming from an underground pipe beneath Beretania, but did not immediately know how the gas got into the State Office Tower. As a precaution, they also shut down the two buildings next door. Workers patched up the leak at about 9:30 a.m., but fire crews still had go through the three buildings to make sure there was no gas inside.

Commuter Michael Cobb said his 45-minute drive from Ewa to his Alakea Street office was doubled because of the gridlock, which started from the Pali Highway exit.

"It took me as long as it did from there to here from the Pali exit as it did to drive from Ewa to that point," Cobb said.

Then Cobb's entire building was shutdown, not from the gas leak but because there was no power.

HECO shut off electricity to about 50 customers because of work on the gas lines.

Power was restored to all buildings except for the State Office Tower by 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Mortgage broker Craig Steele was stuck outside his Alii Place offices. Without power the entire complex was shut down. Steele had mortgages loans waiting to close.

"We can't get to the loan closings so basically there is loan closing no processing no originations," he said.

Also temporarily evicted was the entire Honolulu Prosecutor's Office. Right across the street, surrounded by blacked-out buildings the district courthouse was powered up and open for business.

The prosecutors could not get their files. They couldn't get prepared for court, but the courts opened because they are required to open.

Some cases were delayed, but for the most part court cases were not affected.

Across the street, the Alakea Corporate Tower only had emergency power. The T-Mobile outlet operated without computers and a printing store sending customers to other downtown branches.

Dan Bonilla walked to the office to avoid traffic, but still could not work.

"I came down here to the building and seen it was closed down. I am just surprised that everything is out of power and what's going on," Bonilla said.

He decided to take his laptop in search of a wi-fi signal.

People who managed to fight their way downtown were confronted with another challenge: the parking lots need electricity, too.