Gas explosion in San Francisco Bay Area damages homes, 6 taken to hospitals

A gas explosion set off a major fire in a San Francisco Bay Area (Ashland, near Hayward) neighborhood on Thursday after obliterating at least one home, blowing out windows and shaking nearby houses. Six people were taken to hospitals for injuries, fire officials said.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was alerted around 7:35 a.m. that a construction crew — not with the utility — had damaged an underground gas line. Utility workers arrived to isolate the damaged line, but gas was leaking from various locations.

Workers stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m., and the explosion followed shortly afterward.

Gas was flowing for two hours but the explosion happened 10 minutes after the line was shut off, PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian confirmed. She said it took time to isolate the line and stop the flow of gas