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San Bruno pipeline explosion

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Coordinates: 37°37′21″N 122°26′31″W / 37.622524°N 122.441903°W / 37.622524; -122.441903
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San Bruno pipeline explosion
File:SanBrunoFire.jpg
Photo of fire during the disaster.
DateThursday, September 9, 2010 (2010-09-09)
Time18:11 UTC-7
LocationSan Bruno, California, United States
37°37′21″N 122°26′31″W / 37.622524°N 122.441903°W / 37.622524; -122.441903
Casualties
Killed: 7[1]
Missing: 6[1]
Injured: 60[2]

The 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion occurred at 6:11 p.m. PDT on September 9, 2010, in San Bruno, California, a suburb of San Francisco, when a 30 inch steel natural gas pipeline exploded in flames in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood 2 mi (3.2 km) west of San Francisco International Airport,[3] near Skyline Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue.[4] Residents of the area, first responders, and news media initially believed that it was an earthquake or that a large commercial airliner from SFO had crashed because of the deafening roar of gas, shaking, and seemingly inexhaustible supply of fuel to the fire. It took crews nearly an hour to determine it was a gas pipeline explosion.[5] Reports about the number of deaths are conflicting. According to the San Bruno chief of police seven were dead and six were missing as of Saturday September 11, but the coroner's office questioned the information from the police department, stating only four deaths were confirmed.[6][7][8][9] Many were hospitalized with injuries. 37 homes were destroyed by the blaze, with about 8 badly damaged.[10] USGS registered the explosion and resulting shock wave as a magnitude 1.1 earthquake.[11][12] Eye witnesses reported the initial blast "had a wall of fire more than 1000 feet high".[13]

Explosion and fire

View of the fire on Sep. 9, 2010 at 11:31 p.m. PDT

At 6:11:12 p.m. PDT on September 9, 2010, a huge explosion occurred in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood of San Bruno, near Skyline Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue.[11] This caused a fire, which quickly engulfed nearby houses. Emergency responders of San Bruno and nearby cities soon arrived at the scene and evacuated surrounding neighborhoods. Strong winds fanned the flames, hampering extinguishing efforts.[14] The blaze was fed by a ruptured gas pipe, and large clouds of smoke soared into the sky. It took 60 to 90 minutes to shut off the gas after the explosion, according to San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag.[15] The explosion and the resulting fire leveled 38 houses and damaged many more. About 200 firefighters continued to battle the eight alarm fire that resulted from the explosions.[10][16] The explosion excavated an asymmetric crater 167 feet (51 m) long, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide[17] and 40 feet (12 m) deep along the sidewalk of Glenview Drive in front of 1701 Earl Avenue (a corner house), but many of the destroyed homes were eastward in the 1600 block of Claremont Drive.[15]

The fire continued to burn for several hours after the initial explosion. The explosion compromised a water main and necessitated that firefighters truck in water from outside sources. Firefighters were assisted by residents who dragged fire hoses nearly 4000 feet to working hydrants.[18] Ordinary citizens drove injured people and burn victims to the hospital. Mutual aid responded from all over the Bay Area, including the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection who sent 25 fire engines, 4 airtankers, 2 air attack planes, and 1 helicopter.[19] The fire was only fifty percent contained by 10 p.m. PDT and continued to burn until about 11:40 a.m. PDT the next day.[20][21] According to the San Bruno chief of police seven were dead and six were missing as of Saturday September 11, but the coroner's office questioned the information from the police department, stating only four deaths were confirmed.[7] Two people at the Earl address closest to the explosion were among those killed: Jacqueline Greig, 44, and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa Greig. Greig worked for the California Public Utilities Commission, in a small unit that advocates for consumer rights pertaining to natural gas regulations. She had spent part of the summer evaluating PG&E's expansion plans and investment proposals to replace out-of-date pipelines.[22][23]

Response

San Bruno

File:Destroyedhomes-Sanbruno-Fire.jpg
Destruction after fire and explosion in San Bruno

A Red Cross shelter was set up at the Veterans Memorial Recreation Center in San Bruno,[24] and the Blood Centers of the Pacific issued an emergency appeal for blood donations.[25] Some people were evacuated to Tanforan and Bayhill Shopping Centers.[26][27] All elementary schools in the San Bruno Park Elementary School District, as well as Parkside Junior High, were closed on September 10. However, Capuchino High School remained open.[28] Some residents who were evacuated from their homes were allowed to return to those undamaged on Sunday, September 12.[29]

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is the owner of the pipeline. On September 10, PG&E's president, Christopher Johns, said the company was not able to approach the source of the explosion to investigate the cause.[30] An official press release issued by PG&E on September 10 reported the pipe was a 30-inch (76 cm) steel transmission line.[31] PG&E shares fell 8% on the Friday after the explosion[32] reducing the company's market capital by $1.57 billion.[32]

California

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado made a state of emergency declaration and signed an executive order to provide aid to victims.[16] State regulators ordered PG&E to survey all natural gas lines the company controls in California.[33] Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger later went through the area, after returning from a trade mission in Asia.[34]

Federal response

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier called the devastation "a very serious crisis" and was asking Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare it a national disaster area.[16]

Investigation

Remains of a portion of the natural gas pipeline after explosion in San Bruno on September 10.

San Bruno Police declared the area a crime scene to determine if foul play was involved.[16] The National Transportation Safety Board began an investigation into the cause of the explosion.[35] During the days prior to the explosion, some residents reported smelling natural gas in the area.[30][36] A source within PG&E reported a break in natural gas line number 132 caused the explosion. The gas line is a large 30-inch (76 cm) steel pipe.[4][37][38] National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Christopher Hart said at a briefing that the segment of pipe that blew out onto the street was 28 feet (8.5 m) long, the explosion sent that piece of pipe about 100 feet (30 m) and the blast created a crater 167 feet (51 m) long and 26 feet (7.9 m) wide. He said that an inspection of the severed pipe chunk revealed that it was made of several smaller sections that had been welded together and that a seam ran its length. The presence of the welds did not necessarily indicate the pipe had been repaired, he said.[2] Newer pipelines are usually manufactured into the shape needed for these applications, rather than having mutiple weaker welded sections that could potentially leak or break. [39]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2010 San Bruno explosion and fire.

References

  1. ^ a b "San Bruno explosion death toll climbs to seven; six are missing". Los Angeles Times. September 12, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Leff, Lisa (2010-09-11). "San Bruno Explosion: Residents Wait To Move Back To Burned Neighborhood". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-09-12. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "California Crews Battling Massive Fire After Large Explosion". Associated Press/KTXL. September 9, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Fagan, Kevin (September 9, 2010). "Huge blast in San Bruno; neighborhood on fire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 9, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/first-calls-from-san-bruno-disaster-11636517
  6. ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (September 10, 2010). "San Bruno fire chief puts explosion death toll at 6". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b Hoeffel, John; Molly Hennessy-Fiske; Christopher Goffard (September 12, 2010). "San Bruno explosion death toll climbs to seven; six are missing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Homes on fire after explosion reported in Calif". Associated Press/USA Today. September 9, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "7 confirmed dead, 6 missing in San Bruno". San Francisco Chronicle. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  10. ^ a b "San Bruno explosion: Some victims identified". San Francisco Chronicle. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Magnitude 1.1 - San Francisco Bay Area, California". USGS. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  12. ^ "California-Nevada Fault Map centered at 38°N,122°W". USGS. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  13. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/12/san-bruno-explosion-photos_n_713976.html#s137507
  14. ^ Lopez, Robert (September 9, 2010). "Strong winds fanning huge San Bruno fire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 9, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b Gonzalez, Sandra (11 September 2010). "Search for bodies in deadly San Bruno PG&E gas line explosion ends". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  16. ^ a b c d Gomez, Mark (10 September 2010). "San Bruno explosion, fire neighborhood now a crime scene". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  17. ^ Rodgers, Paul; Rosenberg, Mike; Gonzales, Neil (12 September 2010). "More remains found in San Bruno fire; PG&E checking major pipelines for flaws". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 12 September 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Governor Tours San Bruno Gas Line Explosion Site
  19. ^ http://calfire.blogspot.com/2010/09/ca-czu-san-bruno-wui-fire-gas-line.html
  20. ^ "California fire scene: 'Like a moonscape'". CNN. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  21. ^ "Deadly California fire fully contained". CNN. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  22. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/11/apnewsbreak-calif-federal-regulators-say-gas-pipeline-deadly-blast-ranked-high
  23. ^ http://www.kqed.org/a/kqednews/R201009151204/b
  24. ^ Red Cross Opens San Bruno Fire Shelter, CBS5, September 9, 2010 23:55 UTC−07.
  25. ^ Blood Donations Needed Due To San Bruno Fire, CBS5, September 9, 2010 22:22 UTC−07.
  26. ^ Worth, Katie; Koskey, Andrea (12 September 2010). "Deadly fire rips San Bruno neighborhood". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 12 September 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "The Insider: Politicians race to San Bruno". San Jose Mercury News. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  28. ^ School, Road Closures Due To San Bruno Fire, CBS5, September 9, 2010 23:55 UTC−07.
  29. ^ Wildermuth, John; Bulwa, Demian (12 September 2010). "Some displace San Bruno residents will return home today". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 12 September 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ a b "Inquiry Sifting Cause of Blast in the Bay Area". The New York Times. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  31. ^ "PG&E Continues Response Efforts at Scene of San Bruno Fire". PG&E. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  32. ^ a b "PG&E shares fall after explosion in California". Google News. Google. 2010-09-11. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  33. ^ "Residents return home after Calif pipeline blowout". San Francisco Chronicle. September 12. Retrieved September 12, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Schwarzenegger tours Calif. gas line blast site". San Francisco Chronicle. September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  35. ^ Lowy, Joan (September 10, 2010). "NTSB to investigate explosion, fire in Calif". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  36. ^ "Natural gas explosion rocks San Bruno; 4 dead". ABC7 News. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  37. ^ Gonzales, Sandra; Rosenberg, Mike; Dungan, Jesse; Samuels, Diana (2010-09-09). "Gas line explosion sparks hillside inferno in San Bruno". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2010-09-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Blaze engulfs homes in California neighborhood". CNN. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  39. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/investigating-california-pipeline-blast-san-bruno-explosion-gas-11628459F
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