A gas line explosion created a massive fire in San Francisco's Jordan Park neighborhood on Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Fire Department's spokesman John Baxter.
CBS News said an unknown number of rescues took place after the 3-story fire broke out at the corner of Geary Blvd. and Parker Ave.
The fire broke out at a two-story building on the corner, home to the Hong Kong Lounge II restaurant.
PG&E and San Francisco Fire confirmed the gas feeding the fire was shut off at 3:38, nearly two and a half hours after the initial explosion.
The flames have been extinguished but the fire was able to reach third alarm status at one point, burning four buildings in the process, according to fire officials.
Five workers who had been missing were later found.
There was a work crew who as using a backhoe near the building at the time of the explosion, with the construction equipment bursting into flame.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said workers were installing fiber-optic wires at a business when they cut a natural gas line.
San Francisco police worked to evacuate people in nearby buildings and closed several streets in the nearby Richmond District, according to the Associated Press.
Caroline Gasparini told AP she and her housemate grabbed their shoes, laptops and passports and fled, seeing some of the employees of the dim sum restaurant run out of the backdoor.
Hayes-White said the entire perimeter was evacuated and no injuries were reported but said firefighters were unable to tame the fire "until PG&E manages the gas."
The fire burned for more than two hours, but PG&E spokesperson Paul Dougherty would not comment on the process of shutting down the gas pipeline to SFGate.
"Every situation is different," he said.
"There are a variety of reasons for why the gas would still be on," Captain James Colburn said. "It could be a problem with the shut-off valve, or the operator might not be able to reach the valve." He also said factors such as the diameter of the pipe, as well as the distance between isolation valves, affects the shut-off time.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration released a statement which said it was "gathering information and evaluating the situation."
Nearly 3,000 PG&E customers in San Francisco were left without power until 3:00 p.m. after the explosive fire.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / Jeff Chiu
