San Bruno Fire: Death Toll Unclear

San Bruno, CAAs residents awaited word that they could return to their homes following the San Bruno explosion, officials announced that skeletal remains had been found in the area of the San Bruno fire. Although the official death toll in the California fire remains at four, the skeletal remains could push that number higher. There are still people believed to be missing in the fire.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) are investigating the explosion and claims by residents that they reported smelling gas in the air before the explosion. PG&E reportedly said it has not found any records of customer complaints in the area.

Residents, however, told local reporters they saw PG&E technicians in the area and were told to shut their door and their garage to avoid the smell of gas. It is currently not known how many calls PG&E received from the area reporting the gas smell prior to the explosion or what repair work was done in the area, if any.

According to The New York Times (09/11/10), residents noticed problems they attributed to the gas lines in recent months, including patches of lawn turning yellow, bubbles forming on the surface in the rain and the persistent gas smell. One resident said she complained about gas smells and possible leaks for 15 years.

The Los Angeles Times (09/11/10) cited Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the NTSB giving measurements from the blast: a 28-foot section of pipe was reportedly blown 100 feet. Meanwhile the crater caused by the explosion was 167 feet long and 26 feet deep.

The Mercury News (09/11/10) reports that PG&E has not confirmed when the pipe involved in the explosion was last inspected. According to the paper, PG&E has had 132 significant incidents between 1986 and August 2010, involving 18 deaths and 64 injuries. PG&E was also cited for improperly training field crew in using gas-detection equipment.