Update: Gas Restored To Ruptured Line That Caused Explosion, 3-Alarm Fire - SFGate

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Gas has been restored to the natural gas line that a third-party contractor ruptured while digging Wednesday in San Francisco's Lone Mountain neighborhood, resulting in a three-alarm fire, PG&E officials said late Thursday.

The explosion and fire erupted Wednesday around 1 p.m. near Geary Boulevard and Parker Avenue.

Now that gas has been restored to the line, PG&E is sending representatives door-to-door to do safety checks and assist the 300 affected customers with relighting their pilot lights, according to PG&E spokeswoman Andrea Menniti.

If customers are not home during that time, the representatives will leave a contact card. Customers can also call (800) 743-5000 for assistance, she said.

Crews worked through the night to repair some of the damage caused by the fire as well as to restore the electricity to all of the 2,500 customers who lost power. Crews Thursday morning focused on removing water and debris from the line in order to restore gas service, she said.

The incident caused flames to shoot in the air for more than two hours before crews stopped the flow of gas at 3:36 p.m. on Wednesday.

Two buildings were left with major structural damage and three others with extensive water damage, according to police and fire officials. No one was injured.

It was not immediately clear how many residents or businesses were displaced.

Third-party contractors working on fiber optics struck a 4-inch gas line, causing the rupture and subsequent explosion and fire, Menniti said.

Menniti said the contractors had called 811 to check for any utilities underneath the area before they started digging. PG&E crews then sent a locator to the scene on Jan. 28 and made markings in the area.

A reason for the breach despite the markings remains under investigation, she said.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday announced it was sending a team to the scene to investigate.

Copyright © 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.