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Residents survey ruins of pipeline blast
Source: Agencies |
September 14, 2010, Tuesday
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PATRICK Yu has had nightmares and headaches since a fireball from a natural gas explosion caused his ceiling to crash down next to him while he slept.
He was one of many residents who returned to the ruined hillsides of their suburban San Francisco neighborhood of San Bruno in the US on Sunday after last Thursday's pipeline blast and fire destroyed nearly 50 homes and damaged dozens of others.
The explosion prompted California regulators to order the utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, to survey all its natural gas lines in the state in hopes of heading off another disaster.
Residents were wearing wristbands that show police they live in the area.
Yu said he crouched in the doorway after the blast, thinking he was in the middle of an earthquake. When the shaking subsided, he found that the heat had warped the door so much he had to pull with all his strength to get out of the bedroom.
The 62-year-old learned on Sunday that his house had been red-tagged, meaning it has extensive damage and will require closer inspection before authorities can declare it safe.
"I have lots of memories in that house," Yu said. "Lots of stuff you can't replace."
A few blocks away, houses have collapsed into black and white debris on ground, with a smell like charcoal in the air. All that remains standing is a row of brick chimneys, while across the street, some homes are undamaged.
Pat and Roger Haro fared better. They and their dog, Rosie, have been living in a hotel room since Thursday after fleeing their home with the clothes they were wearing, dog food, water and an iPad.
When they returned, their home was marked with a green tag - indicating less damage than others with yellow or red tags - and their electricity was still off. "Once I saw the house was still there, then I felt a whole lot better," Pat Haro said. "I think we'll be a tighter community."
Investigators were still trying to confirm how many people died.
The remains of at least four people have been found, and authorities have said four are missing and at least 60 injured, some critically. Two people reported missing after the blast were located on Sunday, city spokeswoman Robyn Thaw said.
Local and federal officials are probing the cause of the explosion that blew a segment of pipe 8 1/2 meters long onto the street some 30 meters away, creating a crater 50 meters long and 8 meters wide.
A risky segment of the gas line was due to be replaced, the utility responsible said, because it ran through a heavily urbanized area and the likelihood of failure was "too high."
He was one of many residents who returned to the ruined hillsides of their suburban San Francisco neighborhood of San Bruno in the US on Sunday after last Thursday's pipeline blast and fire destroyed nearly 50 homes and damaged dozens of others.
The explosion prompted California regulators to order the utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, to survey all its natural gas lines in the state in hopes of heading off another disaster.
Residents were wearing wristbands that show police they live in the area.
Yu said he crouched in the doorway after the blast, thinking he was in the middle of an earthquake. When the shaking subsided, he found that the heat had warped the door so much he had to pull with all his strength to get out of the bedroom.
The 62-year-old learned on Sunday that his house had been red-tagged, meaning it has extensive damage and will require closer inspection before authorities can declare it safe.
"I have lots of memories in that house," Yu said. "Lots of stuff you can't replace."
A few blocks away, houses have collapsed into black and white debris on ground, with a smell like charcoal in the air. All that remains standing is a row of brick chimneys, while across the street, some homes are undamaged.
Pat and Roger Haro fared better. They and their dog, Rosie, have been living in a hotel room since Thursday after fleeing their home with the clothes they were wearing, dog food, water and an iPad.
When they returned, their home was marked with a green tag - indicating less damage than others with yellow or red tags - and their electricity was still off. "Once I saw the house was still there, then I felt a whole lot better," Pat Haro said. "I think we'll be a tighter community."
Investigators were still trying to confirm how many people died.
The remains of at least four people have been found, and authorities have said four are missing and at least 60 injured, some critically. Two people reported missing after the blast were located on Sunday, city spokeswoman Robyn Thaw said.
Local and federal officials are probing the cause of the explosion that blew a segment of pipe 8 1/2 meters long onto the street some 30 meters away, creating a crater 50 meters long and 8 meters wide.
A risky segment of the gas line was due to be replaced, the utility responsible said, because it ran through a heavily urbanized area and the likelihood of failure was "too high."
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