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Author Topic: 6 dead, 53 homes destroyed in San Bruno CA fire-natural gas line rupture  (Read 6476 times)
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MuffyBee
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« on: September 10, 2010, 09:42:45 AM »

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/us/11fire.html?src=me
(slide show)
Explosion Sets California Neighborhood Ablaze


A tremendous explosion apparently fueled by a ruptured gas line tore through a San Francisco suburb Thursday night, destroying dozens of homes, killing at least one person and critically injuring several others, the authorities said.
Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado  told reporters at the scene overnight that the full toll would probably not be known until crews with search and rescue dogs could comb the ruins in daylight on Friday. No estimate of missing residents was immediately available.

The blast occurred in San Bruno, about 8 miles south of San Francisco, and was so loud and devastating that some officials initially suspected that a plane might have smashed into the neighborhood. Towers of flame shot hundreds of feet into the sky and a plume of ash-colored smoke hovered over the area. Aerial images 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 the company cautioned that the cause of the blast had not been determined, The Associated Press reported.

The explosion erupted about 6 p.m. Pacific time 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 taken to local hospitals, some with critical injuries, a California emergency official said and The A.P. reported. Joanne Hayes-White, the chief of the San Francisco fire department, said it was unclear precisely how many people were injured.
(snip)

Edit to update the fatalities in subject line.   
« Last Edit: September 11, 2010, 09:24:35 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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MuffyBee
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« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2010, 10:16:39 AM »

http://www.kxan.com/dpps/news/national/west/1-dead-53-homes-destroyed-in-california-fire-nt10-jgr_3577474
(video)
4 dead, 53 homes destroyed in CA fire
'It was like a bomb went off'
September 10, 2010

SAN BRUNO, Calif. (AP) - UPDATE: Officials say at least four people are dead in an explosion and fire that tore through a neighborhood near San Francisco.

San Mateo Senior Deputy Coroner Michelle Rippy said Friday that officials at the scene confirmed the deaths. Officials say at least 20 people are injured, some with serious burns.

Thursday night's massive explosion was apparently triggered by a broken gas line that sent flames roaring through the area, destroying more than 50 houses and damaging dozens of others.

=====

Fire crews flooded the ruins of burning homes with water early Friday after a massive explosion apparently triggered by a broken gas line sent flames roaring through a neighborhood near San Francisco, destroying more than 50 houses. There was one confirmed death and reports of several others.

Thursday night's explosion was heard for miles and shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet in the air and sent frightened residents fleeing for safety and rushing to get belongings out of burning homes, witnesses said.

Utility officials said a natural gas line ruptured in the vicinity of the blast, which left a giant crater and sent flames tearing across several suburban blocks in San Bruno just after 6 p.m.

At least one person was confirmed dead, San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag said. At least 20 others were injured, some with critical burns. San Bruno fire officials later told The Los Angeles Times that at least six people were killed.

Authorities said there could be other casualties but the fire and darkness blocked them from checking.
(snip)


The fire had spread to 10 acres and was 50 percent contained late Thursday, said Jay Allen, spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency.

California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, acting governor while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Asia on a trade mission, declared a state of emergency in San Mateo County.

"It was like a bomb went off," Maldonado told CNN from the scene early Friday.

He said the cause of the conflagration was still unclear.

"We don't know what happened. I don't know what happened. Tomorrow morning we'll find out," he said.

Crews with search dogs will go through whole area, he said. "We'll try to find folks if there are folks in their homes."

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said in an e-mailed statement that "if it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the incident, we will take accountability."

But later Thursday the company's president, Christopher Johns, said he didn't know what sparked the explosion.

"I don't have any details about if there was any work going on, Johns told KTVU-TV. "That will be part of the investigation as we go forward."

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that it has sent a four-member team to San Bruno to investigate the blast. The NTSB's duties include investigating pipeline accidents.

Between 150 and 200 firefighters remained at the scene through the night, according to Haag. More than 100 people were being sheltered at nearby evacuation centers, but no estimate of the number of residents missing was available, he said.

San Bruno Fire Capt. Charlie Barringer said the neighborhood was engulfed by the time firefighters arrived, even though the fire station was only a few blocks away. He said the blast took out the entire water system, forcing firefighters to pump water from more than two miles away.
(snip)

Haag said firefighters initially had trouble getting close enough to the ruptured 24-inch gas line to shut it down because of the flames.
(snip)

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« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2010, 05:42:48 PM »

http://www.examiner.com/us-headlines-in-national/san-bruno-fire-update-four-dead-50-injured-more-than-50-homes-destroyed-photos-live-video
San Bruno fire update: Four dead, 50 injured, more than 50 homes destroyed (photos, live video)
September 10, 2010

ult of one of their gas lines. For hours, fire crews tried to contain the fire, yet they were unable to access the site of the explosion. They were also unable to reach those in the homes located at the site of the blaze.


The San Bruno fire quickly spread from home to home, consuming more than 50 homes and damaging over 100. There have been four confirmed fatalities and more than 50 are injured. Recovery efforts are under way as rescue workers continue to be prevented from accessing all homes. At least three people are suffering from critical injuries.


The site where the gas line exploded looks as if a nuclear bomb hit; there is an enormous crater and the neighborhood is devastated.
The exact cause of the San Bruno fire has not yet been determined as investigators are still without access to the site. Residents in the community have spoken with media saying they smelt gas in the area for the past three weeks. One resident clearly put the blame on Pacific Gas and Electric, faulting them for not repairing the line. An investigation is underway and at this point, it is unknown who is to blame for the massive San Bruno gas line explosion.


California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is out of the country and Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado is acting in his stead. Lieutenant Governor Maldonado declared a state of emergency in San Mateo County.
A press conference is scheduled at 11:00 p.m., PT or 2:00 p.m. ET. You may watch the press conference live in the video player below. Please be aware that the live video is provided by CBS news and they determine the programming. They may change the scheduled news shows at any time.
(Slide show at link in article)
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« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2010, 07:23:58 PM »

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0910/Gas-explosion-San-Bruno-how-authorities-will-investigate-it
Gas explosion, San Bruno: how authorities will investigate it

The National Transportation Safety Board is the agency responsible for investigating pipeline accidents, and it’s likely to have a long list of questions about the gas explosion, San Bruno, Calif.
September 10, 2010

Workers and officials look over a crater caused by a massive explosion in a mostly residential neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif., Friday.
Jeff Chiu/AP

The massive explosion Thursday evening in San Bruno, Calif., which killed at least four people and leveled 38 homes, was apparently sparked by a ruptured natural-gas line. Now, as authorities and residents deal with the aftermath of the gas explosion in San Bruno, attention is turning to the regulators and the regulations that govern the massive skein of pipelines moving natural gas in the United States. (snip)
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« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2010, 09:23:17 PM »

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/us/12fire.html?src=mv
Death Toll Climbs After Calif. Blast
September 11, 2010

AN BRUNO, Calif. — The remains of two more people were found Saturday in the wreckage of the natural gas explosion  that ripped through this hillside community earlier this week, and as many as five others were believed to be missing, the police said.
(Snip)
The two fatalities raised the death toll to six, said Steve Firpo, a spokesman for the city of San Bruno, meaning the deaths from the explosion  caused by a ruptured 30-inch diameter natural gas main could reach 11. Neil Telford, the San Bruno police chief said the final count remains unknown. Another three remain hospitalized. The fire destroyed 37 homes.
(snip)
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