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Some San Bruno residents displaced by Thursday’s gas explosion and fire will be able to visit their homes beginning at noon today, according to the city’s website.
City officials are asking residents to go to parking lot M at Skyline College, located at 3300 College Drive, where they will be asked to show photo identification in order to be escorted to their home. Authorities will ask those without identification a series of questions to verify residency.
Residents without identification should visit remote Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security outlets set up at Veterans Memorial Recreation Center, located at 251 City Park Way in San Bruno City Park. All California legal documents will be replaced for free, Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado said Saturday.
At about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, a 30-inch PG&E steel gas transmission pipeline ruptured, causing a massive explosion and fire that officially killed four people and hospitalized more than 50 others.
The blast and fire destroyed 37 homes, according to a list on the city’s website. Two homes received major damage and six homes have minor damages.
The majority of the destroyed homes – 17 – have addresses between 1621 and 1710 on Claremont Drive.
Residents today will be escorted to their homes in stages, according to the city. Residents with home addresses of 111-191 Estates Drive, 200-250 Estates Drive, and 881-930 Glenview Drive will enter first.
Others will be allowed to enter the neighborhood in scheduled stages throughout the day, according to the city. The last scheduled entry time is at 5 p.m. for residents of Plymouth Way and the 1100 block of Vermont Way.
Residents who show up to the entry point before their assigned time will be turned away and asked to return at the proper time, according to the city.
Two wristbands will be issued for each address along with decals for up to two vehicles. The decals will be color-coded to identify the amount of time residents are allowed to visit their home, according to the city.
Upon arriving home, residents will meet with PG&E staff to re-establish utility service to the house. Residents are also asked to dispose of all perishable food in dumpsters placed in the neighborhood, according to the city. Increased garbage collection has been arranged.
A tagging system designates the condition of homes, San Bruno Community Development director Aaron Aknin said Saturday. Homes with green tags have are not damaged in any way and residents may be able to permanently reoccupy these homes.
Residents with yellow tags on their homes will be allowed to enter and retrieve items but they will not be permitted to stay, Aknin said. Homes with red tags are either destroyed or have major structural damage and must be demolished or undergo major reconstruction before being occupied.
Residents who know their home is destroyed should not show up to the staging area. A meeting for “Devastated Home Owners” is 10 a.m. Monday at the San Bruno Senior Center, located at 1555 Crystal Springs Road.
A list of damaged homes and their condition along with additional information and updates are available at the city’s website, www.sanbruno.ca.gov. Assistance in Spanish is available by calling (415) 699-1885.
Andy Hamilton, Bay City News
