The crew stationed at the gas explosion in Northwest Fresno has toiled all through the night to clean out the mess which has been caused by the explosion. This is just the first step of a long investigation that will provide answers to how and why this explosion occurred.
PG&E spokesperson Denny Boyles said, “We know the line where it was contacted was 40 inches below ground, so at this point the investigators are going to look at what led to the equipment coming in contact with the line that far underground.”
Boyles has mentioned that the amount of gas that has been released in the explosion is equivalent to about what 10,000 homes would normally use. A Fresno County Public Works employee had been digging at the site, but PG&E crews said that they were not informed by anyone or had not been notified of any such work being carried out. According to the regulations of California, contractors are required to notify PG&E crews in case they are going to dig, otherwise they can be fined for it.
“What we’re waiting for right now is the investigations to be complete, and then we can begin that work to do the repairs,” said Boyles.
On Friday afternoon, witnesses could the explosion from about 20 miles away.
“It went like above the trees, and it was really close,” said witness Adrianna Vasquez.
According to investigators, a county work crew most probably struck a large gas main with a backhoe creating a ball of smoke for hours.
“There is a large crater where the explosion occurred. The front loader is completely blackened and of course irreparable,” said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.
The explosion took place at the Fresno County Sheriff’s gun range at around 2:30 p.m., according to Tony Botti, a spokesman for the department and 7 out of the 11 people had been taken to nearby hospitals were still receiving treatment with 2 of those remaining in critical condition.