San Bruno Fire (Photos, Pictures) - Plane crash or gas line explosion ?

A huge fire burned out of control, eating dozens of homes and leaving 6 people dead, as it roared through a mostly residential neighborhood in the hills of San Bruno following a loud gas explosion that shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet into the air on Thursday evening. Firefighters poured water on flaming and smoldering wreckage early Friday after a massive explosion sent blazes roaring.

"We have at least one fatality,"San Mateo County coroner Robert Foucrault said initially, although firefighters later told KCBS radio they had found two additional deceased victims in a burned out home; hospitals reported that more than 20 people suffered burn injuries.

San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag said that a natural gas line explosion likely caused the deadly blast that sent flames tearing through the neighborhood at 6:14 p.m.

"We believe it's a high-pressure gas line that's blown," Haag said, indicating that firefighters initially had trouble getting close enough to the ruptured gas line to shut it down because of the flames.


Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said in a statement that the ruptured gas transmission line was theirs, although they added that the cause of the blast - under investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission - had yet to be officially determined.

"Our thoughts are with the many families that have suffered losses, injuries, and displacement," commission director Paul Clanon said. "Our trained experts will get to the root cause of the explosion and fire."

Here are some photos of the gigantic fire: