san bruno ca, fire

[pookha]

has anyone been keeping up with the giant fire caused by a natural gas pipeline explosion in the san francisco area?

it looks pretty bad and hope most of the people were rescued.

 

[tomalak301]

has anyone been keeping up with the giant fire caused by a natural gas pipeline explosion in the san francisco area?

it looks pretty bad and hope most of the people were rescued.

Yeah I have. I live 15 minutes south of that, and I go through there to go to work tomorrow in South SF. I'll probably call them and still ask what is up. What a terrible story though. My heart/thoughts/prayers go to everyone affected in that area.

 

[doubleohfive]

Can we get maybe a check-in of sorts here so we know all our SF-BBSers are safe?

We saw the breaking news bulletin here in L.A. after the game ... some of the footage was just unreal. By that point (around 8pm), the broadcast was indicating at least 45 homes had been destroyed. It's just awful.

 

[tomalak301]

Can we get maybe a check-in of sorts here so we know all our SF-BBSers are safe?

We saw the breaking news bulletin here in L.A. after the game ... some of the footage was just unreal. By that point (around 8pm), the broadcast was indicating at least 45 homes had been destroyed. It's just awful.

At last check it was 53 homes destroyed, 120 homes damaged and 3 fatalities. The network affiliates here preempted all the programming tonight for coverage and the photos were just unreal. The last one I saw was the creator in the epicenter of the Gas explosion filled with water. It was quite a sight.

 

[M'Sharak]

I saw some of the news footage earlier. From this map, it appears to be confined to a relatively small area, though I heard that they were concerned that winds might spread it further. Within the area indicated on the map, though, everything was on fire. I hope they've got the gas main to that neighborhood shut off now.

Edit:

I just realized that I know someone who lives or used to live just a couple of blocks west of Skyline Blvd., off of Sneath Lane. He was a customer at a place where I used to work.

 

[the Dagman]

I had the news on while I was washing dishes when this news broke. I live in the East Bay and all the smoke was quite evident even from here. That fireball was unreal. Hundreds of feet tall and going full on like that for about an hour and a half before they managed to cut off the natural gas pipeline.

The explosion happened in a residential area at 6:15pm, the "dinner hour". In an area so close to SFO that most homes have insulated windows so they won't hear exterior noises in their home. And there are hundreds of people that are unaccounted for. I have a real bad feeling that this is a far more tragic event than most are currently accounting for. One news report cited a phone call from someone in the area, surrounded by flames and no way out... this is going to be bad, real bad.

ETA: Just released on the local news station: San Bruno police are now cordoning off the area in question calling it a "crime scene". There have been multiple accounts of people in the area smelling gas for the last week before this explosion. Perhaps PG&E may get charged with negligent homicide?

 

[Rii]

Caught some footage of this on the local news: terrifying stuff. Fingers crossed that the death toll doesn't climb any higher than it already has.

 

[tomalak301]

s going to be bad, real bad.

ETA: Just released on the local news station: San Bruno police are now cordoning off the area in question calling it a "crime scene". There have been multiple accounts of people in the area smelling gas for the last week before this explosion. Perhaps PG&E may get charged with negligent homicide?

I'm not ready to place blame on anyone. This is just a tragedy and I'm just worried about families and loved ones at this point. I do think PG&E's response has been appropriate given the circumstances so far despite the complaints before. I guess it's human nature to start pointing fingers, but it's too early for that.

 

[RevDMV]

24 inch gas main, one of two mains into SF. Based on the eye witnesses descriptions of a low roar and then an explosion, the main ruptured and then some sort of spark set it off.

Last report I heard was six confirmed deaths.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I was watching the local news last night and was stunned when I heard about the fire. San Bruno is about a forty-minute drive from where I live. At first, the authorities couldn't figure out if it was PG&E-related (utilities). This reminds me of an excavating accident that happened about two years ago when a contractor in Walnut Creek hit a gas pipe, causing a big explosion and fire that killed two of the employees.

 

[RevDMV]

Yup similar in a gas main rupture. In many ways the got lucky on the one in Walnut Creek, could have been much worse.

Reports of the neighbors smelling gas, or the scent added to gas, for the last couple weeks.

 

[Gryffindorian]

This e-mail was forwarded by our Security & Emergency Preparedness department:

EDIT:

Crappy formatting codes!

CALIFORNIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FLASH INCIDENT REPORT
EVENT NAME: Explosion in San Bruno, San Mateo County (This report may contain unconfirmed information)
DATE/TIME OF REPORT: 09/10/10 at 0800 hours
DATE/TIME OF EVENT: 09/09/10 at 1800 hours
LOCATION: San Bruno Avenue and Skyline Blvd in San Mateo County
IMPACT OF EVENT: Moderate
SITUATION UPDATE:
Cal EMA Secretary Bettenhausen and Acting Governor Maldonado received a briefing overnight and met with the San Bruno Mayor at the scene of the fire.
Structures Destroyed/Damaged
* There are 38 destroyed structures
* There are 7 damaged structures
* There are 50 threatened structures
* There are 250 residences impacted
Injuries/Fatalities:
* Per the Cal EMA Fire Duty Officer there are 52 injuries reported.
* The Cal EMA Coastal Duty Officer was advised 39 injuries have been received at local hospitals.
* Though fatalities are being reported by the media, there has been no official San Mateo County Coroner confirmation at this time.
Per the Cal EMA Fire Duty Officer:
* The fire is currently 75 percent contained at 15 acres.
* An Incident Command Post (ICP) was established at Glenview and San Bruno Ave., in San Bruno.
* There are zero (0) firefighter injures reported at this time.
* Cal EMA Fire Chiefs are on-scene.
* Fire and rescue resources are in rotation/rehab this morning.
* The total number of assigned resources is not currently available.
* Actions planned for today consists of rotation of initial attack fire personnel, conduct/complete primary & secondary searches and extinguishment and mop-up of the fire.
* FEMA approved the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) at 2234 hours on September 9th.
Resources on scene as of 09/09/10 at 2200 hrs:
* San Mateo Operational Area (OA) has 25-35 single resources IA engines, trucks, water tenders
* 2 Strike Team Alameda (10 engines)
* 2 Strike Teams San Francisco (10 engines)
* 25 engines CAL Fire
* 2 Strike teams Dozers (4)
Resources ordered:
* 2 Strike Teams OES from Region II (10 engines)
* 1 Strike Team water tender (5 units) one OES
* Planning for 2-3 operational periods, 5 branches were established.
Activations:
* At 1955 hours on 09/09/10 the State Operations Center (SOC) and the Coastal Region Emergency Operations Center (REOC) were activated in support of the San Mateo County EOC.
* At 0230 hours on 09/10/10 the SOC, Coastal REOC and San Mateo Co. EOC deactivated, returning to duty officer status.
Evacuations and Shelters:
* San Bruno Fire Department issued a voluntary evacuation for ¾ mile area surrounding the incident.
* There are 150 evacuees.
* The Veterans Center at the San Bruno Park, 251 City Park Way in San Bruno. Shelter population is currently 27.
* San Bruno Senior Center, 1555 Crystal Springs Rd., population is zero.
* The Bayhill Shopping Center at San Bruno and Cherry St., population is approximately 100 people.
Proclamations:
* The City of San Bruno Proclaimed a Local Emergency due to this incident.
* The Acting Governor Abel Maldonado has signed a proclamation declaring a state of emergency exists in the City of San Bruno.
Infrastructure:
* Per California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA), the explosion resulted from a 16 to 24 inch gas line rupture.
* Per CUEA the power grid is stable.
* Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) responded and shut off the gas line..
* There is an abundance of water and water pressure.
* There were two fire hydrants destroyed at the scene, and two or three other fire hydrants were damaged.
* The exact number of residences without gas will not be known until later today as the crews will go from house to house.
Road Closures:
* State Route (SR) 35 was closed from SR 280 to Sneath Lane.
California Department of Public Health/Emergency Medical Services Authority:
As of 09/09/10 at 2252 hours:
* RDMHS reports there were seven (7) patients transported to local area hospitals.
* The OA medical health system condition is yellow (under control: no assistance required).
* There are currently no patients on scene and EMS is scaling down.
* EMS is on scene for the fire crews only.
* There will be no need for burn beds outside of Region II but the San Mateo County expressed appreciation for the statewide burn bed survey.
* CDPH and EMSA Duty Officers participated in the 2330 REOC conference call.
Current CDPH Actions:
* The Division of Licensing and Certification (L&C) indicated that there are eight total licensed health care facilities (HCF) in the vicinity with no reported impacts or air quality issues from this incident. The L&C Duty Officer will continue to monitor the situation through the District Office servicing the impacted area.
* The Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control (DEODC) Duty Officer indicated that they will continue to monitor the situation for possible need for DEODC expertise in Hazardous Materials. Further, DEODC is prepared to mobilize requested resources if the fire spreads to industrial locations or chemical facilities.
* The Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management (DDWEM) Duty Officer confirmed that no drinking water systems have been impacted.
* The Office of Public Affairs did not receive any public or media inquiries related to the fire and will continue to monitor the situation.
* The CDPH and EPO Duty Officers will continue to monitor the situation.
Current EMSA Actions:
* EMSA maintains constant communication with the Region II Regional Disaster Health Specialist (RDMHS) and the CDPH & EPO Duty Officers to monitor the situation status.
* The Regional Medical Mutual Aid System was activated and ground ambulance resources within Region II were sufficient.
* As an advance planning measure, EMSA conducted a Statewide Burn Bed Capacity Survey with the Statewide RDMHS Program
* The EMSA Duty Officer continues to monitor the situation through the RDMHSs. EMSA will take appropriate action if the situation warrants coordination of any medical assets.
Resource Requests
* There are no unmet or anticipated medical or health resource requests at this time.

SITUATION: On 09/09/2010 at approximately 1800 hrs, a gas explosion resulting in a large fire occurred in the area of San Bruno Avenue and Skyline Blvd. in San Bruno due to a ruptured PG&E natural gas line.
The Cal EMA Fire, Coastal Region, and Law Duty Officers are continuing to gather information. This report will be updated as information becomes available.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

Thanks for the update, Drone. The sister of one of my co-workers lost her house in the fire but got out ok. I live in Fremont, so I'm far enough away that I'm not affected. I work near Moffett Airbase, and there isn't usually a lot of air traffic, but jets have been going overhead all morning. I wonder if they're firefighting planes.

 

[RevDMV]

I work next to Moffett as well, I could hear the c-130's in the office.

Glad to hear the people you know got out.

 

[tomalak301]

Drone,

Thanks for that. I heard the news on the way home and the number got reduced to 38 homes, which was good. Don't get me wrong, it's still a tragedy of epic proportions and it's 38 homes too many, but it could have been a whole lot worse so I'll take any good news I can get.

I actually drove past that area today on Highway 280 (Those not familiar, it's the other main highway feeding into San Francisco (Connecting to 101) and the Bay Bridge on the Western side near the ocean) and other than seeing a lot more haze, I didn't see any fire or burning. It was almost as if 280 itself wasn't affected and it was a typical day.

 

[mtblillie]

Living in New Mexico I didn't even hear any news about it until this morning, my friend from Cali texted me last night to ask if my family was ok, that was the first I'd heard of it.

Fortunately my family moved to Vallejo and generally don't got any farther south than Brisbane where they work, but by 18:30 they would have been heading home anyway (I hope, haven't heard from them yet, but they have a wierd schedule and it's hard to get ahold of them, there is no reason I know of for them to be in the affected area).

I used to live in Brisbane and had many friends that lived in San Bruno, Daly City, South SF, etc, hope no one was there.

I'm actually a fire fighter out here in NM, and unfortunately once the homes will start to be cleared the death toll will most likely go up, the only reason it hasn't is because in a situation like this firefighters are mostly fighting defensively, which means they fight the blaze from the streets. They are probebly already going through homes in the outer part of the affected area now but that is most likely already been evacuated, most of the fatalities will towards the center of the event, where they likely haven't gone yet.

 

[M'Sharak]

ETA: Just released on the local news station: San Bruno police are now cordoning off the area in question calling it a "crime scene". There have been multiple accounts of people in the area smelling gas for the last week before this explosion. Perhaps PG&E may get charged with negligent homicide?

I'm not ready to place blame on anyone. This is just a tragedy and I'm just worried about families and loved ones at this point. I do think PG&E's response has been appropriate given the circumstances so far despite the complaints before. I guess it's human nature to start pointing fingers, but it's too early for that.

News I saw both last night and this morning said that PG&E had been out to investigate the "smell of gas" reports well before the explosion. Looking at this, though:

24 inch gas main, one of two mains into SF. Based on the eye witnesses descriptions of a low roar and then an explosion, the main ruptured and then some sort of spark set it off.

...it sounds as if a smaller, difficult-to-locate leak may have suddenly and catastrophically become a lot larger.



I just saw the following a few minutes ago. We'd heard it was a big explosion. Here's how big:



(Click to enlarge - full seismograph chart linked below)

San Bruno explosion seismic event: http://go.usa.gov/xYh

(source)

I used to live in Brisbane and had many friends that lived in San Bruno, Daly City, South SF, etc, hope no one was there.

I lived in Brisbane for 11 years. When were you there?


Edit again:

Aerial photos of the explosion / fire site:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16043066

 

[mtblillie]

^^^Wow thats cool to see another person from a tiny suburb on here!

1994 through 2003, I went to school at Brisbane Elementary, then Lipton Middle School, then Terra Nova High in pacifica. I lived in those apartments on top of the hill off of San Bruno Blvd.

 

[M'Sharak]

^^^Wow thats cool to see another person from a tiny suburb on here!

1994 through 2003, I went to school at Brisbane Elementary, then Lipton Middle School, then Terra Nova High in pacifica. I lived in those apartments on top of the hill off of San Bruno Blvd.

Thomas Street? Heh. I was on Mariposa, down the hill from the middle school.

I was in Brisbane from mid 1993 until early 2004. My brother ran a restaurant there.

 

[mtblillie]

Yup Thomas st! I think I used to walk through part of Mariposa to get to Lipton. Hmm which restaurant?

Sorry a bit off topic!