The United States Postal Service's post office branch on 7th Avenue in Park Slope has been closed for at least a week and a half, after the USPS tells News 12 a stored fire extinguisher malfunctioned in the back office. It added that there is no current timeline for when it will be reopened.

A sign on the door notifies customers who need their mail to instead go to the Van Brunt Post Office on 9th Street, which is about 0.7 miles away.

While the USPS would not provide any more information about what happened, a firefighter explained to News 12 that extinguishers are pressurized, so in theory, it could have exploded. However, they say if it was being stored as the USPS says it was, it is more likely that the extinguisher ruptured and leaked its chemicals, which could be a health hazard.

The firefighter says that anything dangerous happening with a fire extinguisher is extremely rare, since ones in commercial buildings like post offices are usually inspected annually.