http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/us/11fire.html
Selamat Hari-Raya!
Massive Explosion and Fire Kills One in California
San Bruno firefighters struggled to control the flames Thursday night.
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: September 10, 2010
A tremendous explosion apparently fueled by a ruptured gas line tore through a San Francisco suburb Thursday night, destroying dozens of homes, killing one and critically injuring several others, the authorities said. Local media reported at least three deaths from the fire.
The blast occurred in San Bruno, about 8 miles south of San Francisco, and was so loud and devastating that some officials initially suspect that a plane had smashed into the neighborhood. Towers of flames shot 50 feet into the sky and a plume of ash-colored smoke hovered over the area. Aerial footage showed multiple cars on fire and several homes completely consumed by a blazing fireball that stretched across an entire street.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the utility company that serves the area, said one of its gas lines had ruptured but cautioned that the cause of the blast had not been determined, The Associated Press reported.
The explosion erupted about 6 p.m. on a hillside near Interstates 280 and 380, in a residential area about two miles west of San Francisco International Airport.
The fireball destroyed 53 homes and damaged more than 100 others, and several people were evacuated and transported to local hospitals, some with critical injuries, a California emergency official said and The A.P. reported. Joanna Hayes-White, the chief of the San Francisco fire department, said it was unclear precisely how many people were injured.
“This happened during the dinner hours,” she said. “There were probably a lot of people sitting at home having dinner at the time.”
The San Mateo County coroner and Dennis Haag, the San Bruno fire chief, confirmed one death from the fire, according to news reports. KCBS reported two others were found dead in a home.
Don Ford, a photo journalist, told The Bay Citizen that the blast left a deep crater with a radius of 40 to 50 feet. "Tomorrow morning when the sun comes up it’s going to be something out of Dante," he said.
Across the neighborhood, emergency officials went door to door ordering residents from their homes as San Bruno firefighters struggled to control the flames. Chief Hayes-White said her department had about 18 engines and trucks at the scene and about 50 firefighters. As of 10:25 p.m., the fire was only 50 percent contained, according to local news reports.
Efforts to put out the blaze were being hampered by strong winds, which appeared to be fueling the fire and raising the specter that the flames would spread to other homes, Kelly Huston, a spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency, told CNN.
“We’ve got aircraft and helicopters literally dropping retardant on homes to try to protect them from catching fire,” he said.
Chief Hayes-White said that officials investigated the possibility that the fire was ignited by a plane crash. But the Federal Aviation Administration had not provided confirmation that any planes were missing in the area. Instead investigators believed the likely cause was a high pressure gas line that somehow ruptured, she said.
J. David Goodman contributed reporting.
Selamat Hari-Raya!
Massive Explosion and Fire Kills One in California
San Bruno firefighters struggled to control the flames Thursday night.
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: September 10, 2010
A tremendous explosion apparently fueled by a ruptured gas line tore through a San Francisco suburb Thursday night, destroying dozens of homes, killing one and critically injuring several others, the authorities said. Local media reported at least three deaths from the fire.
The blast occurred in San Bruno, about 8 miles south of San Francisco, and was so loud and devastating that some officials initially suspect that a plane had smashed into the neighborhood. Towers of flames shot 50 feet into the sky and a plume of ash-colored smoke hovered over the area. Aerial footage showed multiple cars on fire and several homes completely consumed by a blazing fireball that stretched across an entire street.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the utility company that serves the area, said one of its gas lines had ruptured but cautioned that the cause of the blast had not been determined, The Associated Press reported.
The explosion erupted about 6 p.m. on a hillside near Interstates 280 and 380, in a residential area about two miles west of San Francisco International Airport.
The fireball destroyed 53 homes and damaged more than 100 others, and several people were evacuated and transported to local hospitals, some with critical injuries, a California emergency official said and The A.P. reported. Joanna Hayes-White, the chief of the San Francisco fire department, said it was unclear precisely how many people were injured.
“This happened during the dinner hours,” she said. “There were probably a lot of people sitting at home having dinner at the time.”
The San Mateo County coroner and Dennis Haag, the San Bruno fire chief, confirmed one death from the fire, according to news reports. KCBS reported two others were found dead in a home.
Don Ford, a photo journalist, told The Bay Citizen that the blast left a deep crater with a radius of 40 to 50 feet. "Tomorrow morning when the sun comes up it’s going to be something out of Dante," he said.
Across the neighborhood, emergency officials went door to door ordering residents from their homes as San Bruno firefighters struggled to control the flames. Chief Hayes-White said her department had about 18 engines and trucks at the scene and about 50 firefighters. As of 10:25 p.m., the fire was only 50 percent contained, according to local news reports.
Efforts to put out the blaze were being hampered by strong winds, which appeared to be fueling the fire and raising the specter that the flames would spread to other homes, Kelly Huston, a spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency, told CNN.
“We’ve got aircraft and helicopters literally dropping retardant on homes to try to protect them from catching fire,” he said.
Chief Hayes-White said that officials investigated the possibility that the fire was ignited by a plane crash. But the Federal Aviation Administration had not provided confirmation that any planes were missing in the area. Instead investigators believed the likely cause was a high pressure gas line that somehow ruptured, she said.
J. David Goodman contributed reporting.
