San Bruno Neighborhood Flattened by Gas Explosion - Neatorama

A massive explosion leveled a neighborhood in San Bruno (a suburb close to San Francisco), California, yesterday night:

After the initial blast, flames reached as high as 100 feet as the fire fueled itself on burning homes, leaving some in total ruins and reducing parked automobiles to burned out shells. At least 120 homes also suffered serious damage.
Witnesses heard the explosion miles away and said it shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet in the air, sending frightened residents fleeing for safety and rushing to get belongings out of burning homes.
"I thought a 747 had landed on us," Barringer told the Times. "It shook our station right to its foundation."

What could've caused such an explosion? A ruptured 30-inch steel gas pipeline is suspected. Link (Photo: KNTV)

I used to live near San Bruno and a cousin of mine lives there (she's okay), so that sort of hit close to home. But have you ever thought about the ground under your house simply exploding?

not really neat. more like horrible.

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simply exploding? sounds like the line was punctured.

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Yes! Five years ago a compressed gas pipeline that was in the neighborhood where I grew up (and where my parents still lived) exploded. It destroyed several homes in the initial fire and shoved two homes off their foundations. Amazingly, only a few people suffered injuries and no one was killed. One of our neighbors, a state trooper, acted heroically to save a woman and her child from their house. He received extensive burns on his hands, but has recovered now. He was awarded a medal from the Governor and is now retired.

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Wow, that's quite an explosion. Seems they are low on O Negative blood for victims of the blast according to a Twitter on the issue.

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Last winter, our furnace was on the fritz--would not ignite the gas, so we had to manually do it (fortunately, only a couple of times before the repair guy was able to come with the right piece to fix the furnace). What amazed me was that when the gas started flowing, I touched a lit lighter to the gas pipes and IMMEDIATELY there was flame everywhere (fortunately, where it was supposed to be so no damage done). How quick the fire appeared was freaky--and made me understand how tragic things like this explosion can happen.

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Go Modern!

Go Gas!

Go Boom!!!

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I have never imagined the ground underneath me just BOOM exploding and I hope it never does. Have been looking at the coverage of this online and it is/was ferocious. Amazing no more were killed...

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Exploding... no. But I have the say that the sink holes have been really disturbing my dreams. The ground is just GONE!!

Now I can have dreams of exploding disappearing ground. FUN.

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