Harrowing video captured the moment a California home was blown to smithereens in a thunderous gas explosion that left six people injured on Thursday morning.
Footage circulating on social media depicts a scene that one resident compared to a “war video,” with a massive blast shaking a suburb of Hayward, sending plumes of heavy smoke into the sky and echoes of a reverberating boom.
The dramatic explosion was caught on a Ring doorbell camera across the street. Christian and Brittany MaldonadoThe burst took place about two hours after a construction crew damaged an underground gas line, according to Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
However, the utility company emphasized that it was not one of its own crews.
Fire officials said six people were taken to hospitals for injuries. KCRA3PG&E crews raced to the scene and managed to isolate the damaged line, stopping the gas flow at 9:25 a.m.
The explosion erupted shortly after, turning the street into a disaster zone.
The video, which came from doorbell camera footage, showed a large building engulfed in flames and debris scattered across the area.
“We were sitting in the house and it just … everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls and when we looked at the camera it was like you were watching a war video,” Brittany Maldonado, who provided the footage, told ABC7 News.
Of the six people injured, three sustained minor injuries and three were immediate transports, Alameda County fire officials said at a news conference. Their injuries include burns to an unknown degree, respiratory issues, and bone fractures. All victims are now in stable condition.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. insisted that its workers did not cause the explosion. KCRA3PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian revealed it was a two-hour process to isolate and pinpoint the damaged gas line, and then restrain the area of damage.
Alameda County Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Nishimoto said that his units were dispatched at 9:30 a.m., responding to a house fire call on the 800 block of Lewelling Boulevard.
Once his crew arrived on the scene, the situation was “extended to a third alarm fire,” indicating the complexity and severity of the blaze.
To contain the fire, 75 firefighters were called to help.
Three structures on two separate lots were found damaged, and another on an adjacent lot.
Firefighters felt electric shocks when first making entry into some of the homes, and crews faced challenges with power lines falling onto structures.
As of Thursday night, everyone is accounted for.
No first responders were injured in the blast.
