Residents: We smelled gas a week before deadly blast

Residents: We smelled gas a week before deadly blast
At least four dead, 38 homes destroyed as fireball spreads through San Francisco suburb

NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 1 hour 1 minute ago

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — As fire crews sprayed the ruins of burning homes Friday after a massive explosion and fire in a San Francisco suburb killed at least four people and destroyed several dozen homes, residents in the area told local NBC affiliate KNTV that they had complained about a natural gas smell for weeks.

Tim Gutierrez, who lives in the neighborhood, told KNTV that a representative from the utility PG&E was in the neighborhood last week and told people to shut their garage doors and stay inside as they looked into the complaint.

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Stephanie Mullen, Associated Press news editor for photos based in San Francisco, was attending children's soccer practice with her two children and husband at Crestmoor High School when she saw the blast at 6:14 p.m.

"First, it was a low deep roar and everybody looked up, and we all knew something big was happening," she said. "Then there was a huge explosion with a ball of fire that went up behind the high school several thousand feet into the sky.

"Everybody grabbed their children and ran and put their children in their cars," Mullen said. "It was very clear something awful had happened."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39089768/ns/us_news/

Some homes in gas blast 'too hot to enter'
Death toll of 4 could rise; 38 homes in San Francisco suburb destroyed

NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 56 minutes ago

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Hot embers kept search crews from entering some of the homes destroyed in the gas explosion and fire overnight in this San Francisco suburb, while residents came forward to say they had complained about a natural gas smell for weeks.

"Some residences remain too hot to enter," San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag told reporters.

The death toll stands at four, but officials fear more bodies will be found when crews get into the 25 percent of homes that haven't been searched.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39089768/ns/us_news/

This is awful! I can't even imagine the terror, because there is not a thing you can do about a gas explosion.

They've been installing new gas lines on our street and the street over since early spring. They still aren't finished. I can smell it outside sometimes and it scares me to death.

I sure hope Cali doesn't live anywhere near that disaster...

Is Cali in northern CA? I sure hope it wasn't around her! It's truly a miracle more lives weren't lost in this explosion. What a tragedy.

This link has an interactive map for the fire area. If you zoom out, the fire area is on the west side of CA. When I see Cali on the RC map, I think she's usually more on the east side of CA, isn't she?

http://www.californiabeat.org/2010/09/10/interactive-map-homes-destroyed-damaged-by-san-bruno-fire

I see Cali on the Members list at 10:05pm yesterday, Saturday.

Death toll in Calif. blast hits 7, police say
After day of conflicting numbers, authorities now say 6 considered missing

msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 2 hours 10 minutes ago

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — The number of victims in the devastating blast and fire that hit this San Francisco suburb jumped late Saturday to seven with the discovery of three more sets of remains, the San Bruno police chief said.

In addition, said Police Chief Neil Telford, six people were now considered missing.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy," Telford said in a statement. "This is devastating to so many families."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39120986/ns/us_news-life/

Re: Cali....Thanks, Jules...I was worried about her...

Estee - you're welcome.

Ditto.......thanks Jules. I was worried about her too.

you're welcome Piper, I just wish she would have left a post.