A powerful explosion rocked a neighborhood near Hayward Thursday morning, leaving at least six people injured and multiple buildings significantly damaged, officials said.
The explosion and subsequent fire happened along the 800 block of Lewelling Boulevard, located in the unincorporated Alameda County community of Ashland, after a construction crew hit an underground gas line, according to officials.
Across the street from the blast site, Christian Maldonado’s home surveillance camera captured the moment the explosion occurred. The loud blast sent debris flying into the air. Flames then spread across multiple buildings, sending a plume of black smoke into the air.
“It looked like someone set off a bomb,” Maldonado said.
The six victims were transported to local hospitals, officials said. At least three were listed in serious condition.
“The one person they pulled out had their clothes burned off pretty bad,” Maldonado said.
PG&E said it was notified at 7:35 a.m. that an unaffiliated third-party crew had struck an underground gas line on Lewelling Boulevard. PG&E crews responded to the scene, isolated the damaged line and stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m. The blast occurred roughly 10 minutes later.
“I actually fell, lost my balance, that’s how hard it shook,” Maldonado said. We went outside and just see this fire and debris everywhere, glass in our yard.”
What ultimately sparked the explosion is under investigation.
“PG&E will be conducting an extensive investigation around the potential cause and will support other investigations that may take place,” PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said.
Alameda County Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Nishimoto said firefighters responded to the scene at about 9:38 a.m. and found multiple buildings on fire.
Two properties were directly impacted by the blast and fire, with three buildings on those properties suffering significant damage, Nishimoto said. A third property next door suffered moderate damage on the side facing the explosion site.
Debra Omotoy, who lives next to the blast location, said her husband was in their kitchen and had the gas stove on when he started to notice the flow dip.
“He thought, ‘Oh, they must be working on the gas,’ so he shut it all off,” Omotoy said. “Within a minute or two, the explosion hit. Every one of our windows is out, cracks in the ceiling, lines just splitting open. It was just powerful.”
Roughly 75 firefighters responded to the scene, Nishimoto said.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
