A leaking natural gas line caused a dramatic explosion in the Bay Area on Thursday, injuring six people and damaging several other buildings.
At least one person was inside the home before the explosion. One person was able to escape without injury, but six others were injured, including three with serious injuries, said spokeswoman Cheryl Countl Hurd.
“It was a sad situation,” said Shembe. “There was fire and debris and smoke everywhere, power lines down, people rushing home. … One was on the side of the road.
The leak started after a third-party construction crew was working Thursday morning in the 800 block of East Lewelling Boulevard in Hayward and hit Pacific Gas and underground power, according to a statement from the utility.
Fire crews were first dispatched to the scene at 7:46 a.m. after PG&E reported a suspected environmental fire, Surd said. PG and E authorities were already on the scene when fire engines arrived, and reportedly told firefighters their assistance was not needed, Hupd said.
Utility crews tried to isolate the damaged line, but gas was leaking in several places. Crews shut off the gas flow at about 9:25 a.m. ten minutes later when the explosion occurred, PG&E said in a statement.
Fire crews were called to the same address, where at least 75 firefighters encountered heavy flames and a strong column. Surrounding homes suffered damage from the blast and debris. Three buildings were destroyed in two separate buildings and several others were damaged, according to fire officials.
Six people were taken to Eden Medical Center, including three with serious injuries that required immediate transportation. Authorities declined to comment on the nature of their injuries.
Video taken from a hole in a door attached to a neighboring house shows digging a hole near the house moments before the explosion. The blast ripped through nearby homes, shattering windows and sending construction crews running.
At first, the authorities suspected that two people were lost after the explosion. That was determined not to appear, said Surd.
“They brought two cadaver dogs to see if anyone was still stuck under the debris, and the dogs cleared everything,” said Shembe.
Brittany Maldonado had just returned from dropping her son off at school Thursday morning when she saw a PG&E worker checking her gas meter. He told her that there was an argument and he had to turn off the gas in his house.
He didn’t think twice about it.
“About 45 minutes later, everything was shaken,” he told reporters at the scene. “It was a big boom … first we thought someone ran into our house – a truck or something – then we looked outside and it was like a war zone.”
The house across the street was destroyed, Maldonado said. When he looked at the footage from his ring camera he said it looked like a bomb inside the home had gone off.
“I am very happy that no one lost their lives,” he said.
Authorities with the Sheriff’s Office, PG&E and the National Safety Code are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the explosion.
In 2010, the PG & E pipeline and the SAN BRUNO NEIGHBORHOOD PIPELINE, which destroyed 38 homes and killed eight people. California regulators later approved a $1.6-billion fine against the utility for violating Pipeline Pipeline safety standards.
Staff writer Hana contributed to this report
