Additional Coverage:
- California home explosion caught on doorbell camera (foxnews.com)
Massive Explosion Rocks Hayward-Area Neighborhood, Injuring Six and Destroying Homes
HAYWARD, CA – A terrifying home explosion near Hayward in the San Francisco Bay Area sent shockwaves through a quiet community Thursday morning, leaving six people hospitalized and multiple homes in ruins. The dramatic incident, captured on a nearby doorbell camera, depicts a property erupting in a fiery blast, sending debris hurtling through the air, followed by the immediate sound of sirens as a massive fire ignited.
Christian Maldanado, who recorded the startling footage, described the scene to KTVU as “like a scene from Hollywood. It was unreal.”
The Alameda County Fire Department confirmed that 75 firefighters were deployed to battle the three-alarm blaze. The force of the explosion and subsequent fire completely destroyed three buildings and caused significant damage to several adjacent residences. Six individuals were transported to local hospitals, with the cause of the incident currently under investigation.
The catastrophic event unfolded in the unincorporated community of Ashland, just outside the city of Hayward, a bustling East Bay city home to approximately 160,000 residents, located 15 miles south of Oakland.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) reported being alerted around 7:35 a.m. to an underground gas line that had been damaged by a construction crew not affiliated with the utility.
PG&E workers arrived on scene to isolate the compromised line, but gas was found to be leaking from multiple locations. Workers successfully stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m., with the explosion occurring shortly thereafter.
A PG&E spokesperson, Tamar Sarkissian, confirmed that gas had been flowing for two hours, but the explosion happened just 10 minutes after the line was shut off.
Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto stated that three structures on two separate lots sustained severe damage. Some of the responding firefighters were forced to momentarily retreat when they experienced electric shocks from downed power lines at the site.
Local residents expressed their shock and devastation. “Every window in my house was blown open,” a resident identified as Deborah told KTVU.
“There are cracks in the ceiling. My house is destroyed.”
The neighborhood, characterized by single-level homes situated near two freeways, had been undergoing construction for wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Interstate Highway 238 was temporarily closed by the California Highway Patrol as emergency services managed the chaotic scene.
PG&E informed KTVU that three of their employees were among those injured. A family member of the other injured parties confirmed that the remaining three individuals were residents of the exploded home and are currently being treated for third-degree burns.
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- California home explosion caught on doorbell camera (foxnews.com)