Huge Blast, Fire Kills 6 And Destroys Dozens of Homes Near San Francisco

[Chris_]

At least six people have died, 54 homes have been destroyed and more than 120 have been damaged after a massive explosion sent blazes roaring through a neighborhood in the hills south of San Francisco, authorities said Friday.

The explosion, which occurred just after 6 p.m. on Thursday, 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.

San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag confirmed to Fox News that at least six people were killed and 39 were reported injured -- some with severe burns. 

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

Fox News

[Chris_]

The Carnage Of San Bruno's Deadly Fire

Last night, as residents of the sleepy San Francisco suburb of San Bruno sat down to dinner, their world exploded in a fireball. Here's a closer look at the carnage.

Jalopnik

Lots of pictures of seriously melted cars.

[JohnnyReb]

Half a dozen synchronized peaceful people could take out a whole city you know.

[Revolution]

Holy moley! It looks like those cars just drove through a molten steel filled foundry. My thoughts and prayers are going out to those affected.

[AllosaursRus]

Jalopnik

Lots of pictures of seriously melted cars.

The lefties over there are already bitchin about Insurance companies!

Go figure!

[debk]

I was still awake at 3 this morning, and Fox News went to a special report from the scene.

The fire chief was interviewed, and some reporter asked if he had every seen anything like this before ( )...he said "no, and I hope I never do again...". A couple of times, his voice kind of quivered.

I cannot imagine how horrendous this is for these people. I guess, the only good thing, was that if so many people had to be at home at the time, at least it was dinnertime, not in the middle of the night. With it at dinnertime, people were awake and those that could were able to get the heck out fairly quickly. If it had been the middle of the night....

[crockspot]

Natural gas lines do not typically explode. The gas they carry is not flammable until it is mixed with air, such as at your stove or furnace. Otherwise, gas lines would be blowing up all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be a deliberate act. I also wouldn't be surprised if we never were told that finding.

[AllosaursRus]

Natural gas lines do not typically explode. The gas they carry is not flammable until it is mixed with air, such as at your stove or furnace. Otherwise, gas lines would be blowing up all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be a deliberate act. I also wouldn't be surprised if we never were told that finding.

I've only been exposed to one such "explosion", and it was a leak that settled under a house until it finally found an ignition source.

It picked up the house off the foundation and launched it half a city block! The explosion broke windows for nearly a mile around the epicenter!

Natural gas is heavier than air, and if you don't notice it, it becomes one helluva bomb!

ETA:

Check these out!

Natural gas explosions in recent history!

The one that sticks in my head is the one in Mexico where it literally blew the streets all to hell for blocks around!

[true_blood]

Holy moley! It looks like those cars just drove through a molten steel filled foundry. My thoughts and prayers are going out to those affected.

Man, that is some bad stuff. My thoughts and prayers to all affected.

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

Ok look, I know this was a serious explosion and all, but come on...

(RexMaximus) 12:52 PM
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I feel sorry for these families' losses. First their homes, then the inevitable swarms of endoskeletons and super mutants.

Now THAT'S funny. 

[IassaFTots]

Anyone heard from CR today????

[debk]

Anyone heard from CR today????

Is that where she lives?

[IassaFTots]

Is that where she lives?

I just know she is in the Bay Area.  Which is pretty broad. 

[Chris_]

She's not around San Bruno.  South of there, in a different area.

[Thor]

I had just started work at a cable company that was having a contractor install new cable lines for the company  when they hit a gas line with one of the utility pole anchors. That was the one referenced in the wiki link that happened on Dec 11th, 1998. The truth of the story is when the city built the sidewalk, they filled in what they needed with granite blocks before they poured the sidewalk. Not being able to detect the granite block, the contractors started auguring in the anchor. It hit the buried granite block, went askew and ruptured a gas line. Underground gas lines doing a strange thing, they "wiggle around" over time and create a hole around the buried gas line. The gas escaped and followed the hole into a building. Speculation has it that either someone lit a cigarette in the gas filled build OR a water heater pilot light ignited the gas. Regardless, it blew up the entire block. One of two people were killed and a few others were injured. I was a little apprehensive about my job with the cable company as I had just started four days earlier. There were many lawsuits filed against the cable company, NSP and a few other entities.

[IassaFTots]

She's not around San Bruno.  South of there, in a different area.

Good.  Thanks for that!

[AllosaursRus]

I had just started work at a cable company that was having a contractor install new cable lines for the company  when they hit a gas line with one of the utility pole anchors. That was the one referenced in the wiki link that happened on Dec 11th, 1998. The truth of the story is when the city built the sidewalk, they filled in what they needed with granite blocks before they poured the sidewalk. Not being able to detect the granite block, the contractors started auguring in the anchor. It hit the buried granite block, went askew and ruptured a gas line. Underground gas lines doing a strange thing, they "wiggle around" over time and create a hole around the buried gas line. The gas escaped and followed the hole into a building. Speculation has it that either someone lit a cigarette in the gas filled build OR a water heater pilot light ignited the gas. Regardless, it blew up the entire block. One of two people were killed and a few others were injured. I was a little apprehensive about my job with the cable company as I had just started four days earlier. There were many lawsuits filed against the cable company, NSP and a few other entities.

I was doin' a remodel in a Safeway grocery store once and we hit a telephone trunk line!

Knocked out the phones all the way to Canada! We had a locate, but the dipshit who sprayed the location was off by 3 frikkin' feet!

We ended up sharing the $20,000 fine with the locating company!

I thought at the time and still do, that we got screwed!

[Chris_]

We ended up sharing the $20,000 fine with the locating company!

I thought at the time and still do, that we got screwed!

I would have to agree.  I thought locating companies assumed all the liability... they're required here if any digging is done.

[AllosaursRus]

I would have to agree.  I thought locating companies assumed all the liability... they're required here if any digging is done.

I think it was my boss who decided we share the liability just to be a nice guy and save some money stayin' outa court! The locator was adamant that all locates have a plus minus error factor. Kinda like DUmmie polls!

I was the Super and argued against it! After all, my profit margin generally hovered around 8 frikkin' %! Needless to say it affected my bonus! I was sure we would win if it came down to it, but it would have meant keepin' me in town was more than he was willin' to do. The greedy capitalistic bastard!

We didn't turn it in on our insurance as it would have made our rates go up and in the long run woulda cost more!

[Thor]

I can't for any other state except MN, but with their locates, they are allowed two feet, either side. That basically allows for a tolerance of four feet. That's not cut & dried, but a general rule of thumb. In the end, the person doing the digging is ultimately responsible. There were several times I was doing outside cable TV work and I would connect my locator just to verify that the locates were accurate because some weren't. I learned that after I cut a phone line or two (house type phone lines)

[Celtic Rose]

Anyone heard from CR today????

I'm fine.  Thank you for thinking of me.      I'm in the more southern part of the bay area. 

[IassaFTots]

I'm fine.  Thank you for thinking of me.      I'm in the more southern part of the bay area. 

Glad to hear it.       I know the Bay Area is expansive, but I didn't know where you were in it all. 

[Revolution]

I didn't know you were living there either, CR. Thanks for keeping us in the know, and I'm very glad you're okay.

[AllosaursRus]

I'm fine.  Thank you for thinking of me.      I'm in the more southern part of the bay area. 

Good dam thing! How are we goin' to repopulate the world when the shirt hits the fan, if we lose our conservative womyns?????? lol!

[BlueStateSaint]

I've heard that this was a steel gas main, and steel gas mains are the most likely to fail--sometimes catastrophically.