Massive San Bruno Fire

I'm sure everyone is thinking the same thing right now: what the hell happened?:

SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- A massive explosion on Thursday sent flames roaring through a neighborhood in the hills south of San Francisco, destroying more than 50 homes and leaving at least one person dead.

The utility company that serves the San Francisco Bay area said one of its gas lines ruptured in the vicinity of the blast, which left a giant crater and sent flames tearing across several suburban blocks in San Bruno just after 6 p.m.

"If it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the incident, we will take accountability," Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said in an e-mailed statement.

Flames hot enough to crack a fire engine windshield incinerated 53 homes and damaged 120 others as crews continued battling the blaze into the night. At least one person was confirmed dead in the blast, San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag said.

An estimate of the number of people hurt or unaccounted for wasn't immediately available. San Francisco Bay area hospitals reported receiving about 20 injured patients - several of whom were in critical condition - but they anticipated getting more.

Witnesses said the explosion shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet in the air and sent frightened residents fleeing for safety and rushing to get belongings out of burning homes.

After the blast, flames reached as high as 100 feet as the fire fueled itself on burning homes. Between 150 and 200 firefighters were at the scene, Haag said. Planes and helicopters flew over the neighborhood dumping water.

The blaze had spread to 10 acres and was 50 percent contained late Thursday, said Jay Allen, spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency.

San Bruno Fire Capt. Charlie Barringer said the neighborhood was engulfed by the time firefighters arrived, even though the fire station was only a few blocks away. He said the blast took out the entire water system, forcing firefighters to pump water from more than two miles away.

Haag said firefighters initially had trouble getting close enough to the ruptured gas line to shut it down because of the flames.