Gas Blast Engulfs Homes in San Francisco Suburb; Six Killed
Gas Explosion Engulfs Homes in San Francisco Suburb
Max Whittaker/Getty Images
Fire trucks gathered on the perimeter of the fire zone, and firefighters went house to house dousing engulfed structures with water.
Fire trucks gathered on the perimeter of the fire zone, and firefighters went house to house dousing engulfed structures with water. Photographer: Max Whittaker/Getty Images
Gas Explosion Engulfs Homes in San Bruno
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A law enforcement official runs towards a fire in a San Bruno residential neighborhood.
A law enforcement official runs towards a fire in a San Bruno residential neighborhood. Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Flames and smoke rise from a fire in San Bruno
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Flames and smoke rise from a fire in a residential neighborhood in San Bruno.
Flames and smoke rise from a fire in a residential neighborhood in San Bruno. Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A natural-gas explosion tore through the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno yesterday, igniting a fire that destroyed dozens of homes. The fire killed six people, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing San Bruno officials.
The explosion occurred when a gas line operated by PG&E Corp. ruptured, according to an e-mailed statement today by the San Francisco-based utility owner. The cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined, PG&E said.
“If it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the incident, we will take accountability,” PG&E said in the statement.
Fifty-three homes were destroyed and 120 were damaged after a fireball rose more than 100 feet (30 meters) from the site of the blast, Dennis Haag, the San Bruno fire chief, said yesterday. At least five people were seriously injured and more than 18 were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals, according to hospital spokespeople.
Authorities won’t know the final death tally until the fire department conducts a thorough search today, Haag said. A spokesman for the San Bruno Police Department was unable to confirm the Los Angeles Times report this morning.
‘Terrible Tragedy’
The National Transportation Safety Board said it has started an investigation into yesterday’s explosion and fire. The California Public Utilities Commission also is probing the cause and is at the scene gathering evidence, the agency said in a statement yesterday. The commission will “gather all relevant information about the incident and obtain information from PG&E,” it said.
“A terrible, terrible tragedy has fallen on our city,” Jim Ruane, mayor of San Bruno, said yesterday. “This is going to be a long haul.”
As of 2 a.m. New York time, the fire was about 50 percent contained, Haag said. Authorities expected to bring the blaze under control and begin the search for any additional casualties, he said. The suburb of San Bruno is west of San Francisco International Airport.
“It started as a rumbling and then the flames came,” Bob Pellegrini, a 48-year-old San Bruno resident, said at the Bayhill Shopping Center parking lot where more than 100 evacuated people went. “Then smoke came into the house and the intense heat started burning the wood. Every car on the street was burned. We ran out back, out the side gates and down the street behind us.”
State of Emergency
California declared a state of emergency in San Mateo County, according to an e-mailed statement from Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado.
The damaged section of the 30-inch steel gas transmission pipeline has been isolated and gas flow has been stopped to the affected area, PG&E said in a separate statement. Gas flow to the area gas distribution pipes has been stopped.
Three victims were taken to Seton Medical Center in Daly City. One was transferred to St. Francis Memorial Hospital burn center in San Francisco with severe burns, said Elizabeth Nickels, a spokeswoman for Seton hospital. The two others were treated and released.
Two people with burns were in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital, spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said in a telephone interview.
St. Francis Memorial Hospital was treating three fire victims, according to Theresa Edison, a spokeswoman for the hospital. Two were in a critical condition and one was stable, Edison said.
Mills Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame received 16 patients, all with minor injuries, said Jane Schulze, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
Airport Operations
The fire isn’t “having any direct impact on operations at San Francisco International Airport,” airport spokesman Michael McCarron said in an e-mail yesterday. All airport traffic arrived and departed normally, he said.
The FAA dedicated a controller in the airport’s air traffic control tower to handle aircraft involved with aerial firefighting and rescue operations.
San Bruno had an estimated 44,213 residents in 2008, according to census data provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments. Median family income was $84,978 in the past 12 months and the median price of an owner-occupied home was $667,400 in the years 2006 to 2008, according to the data.
The San Francisco Fire Department Airport Division dispatched three units to the scene as part of a county-wide mutual aid request, McCarron said.
“I saw a row of eucalyptus trees light up in front of me,” said Joseph Sperske, a 29 year-old student at San Francisco State University who was in his car about 125 feet away from the fire. “Those houses had no chance.”
As of 4 a.m. local time, there were approximately 300 customers without gas service and about 700 customers who remained without electricity, PG&E said.
Shares of PG&E fell $1.25, or 2.6 percent, to $46.99 at 8:58 a.m. New York time in trading before U.S. stock exchanges opened.
To contact the reporters on this story: Jeran Wittenstein in San Francisco at jwittenstei1@bloomberg.net; Lisa Wolfson in San Francisco at lwolfson@bloomberg.net
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