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In response to reports that residents smelled natural gas in the days and weeks prior to Thursday’s explosion and fire in San Bruno, the California Public Utilities Commission has established a toll-free number and e-mail address for anyone who noticed the smell.
People can call (800) 789-0550 or send an e-mail to SBFire@cpuc.ca.gov if they smelled the gas.
At about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, a 30-inch steel gas transmission pipeline ruptured in the Crestmoor Canyon neighborhood of San Bruno, causing a massive explosion and fire that killed four people and hospitalized 52 others.
Thirty-seven homes were destroyed and eight sustained major or minor damage.
One of the four people who died was Jacqueline Greig, a CPUC employee who is listed on the commission’s telephone directory as part of its Division of Ratepayer Advocates.
Greig and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa were killed in the fire.
The CPUC is assisting in the investigation along with local, state, and federal agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the lead investigator.
The CPUC has the responsibility of enforcement action if safety violations are found during the investigation.
PG&E President Chris Johns said Friday that the utility had no immediate knowledge of complaints of a prior gas leak, but that officials are aggressively investigating the claim.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
