On the recordSeptember 15, 2010
On Thursday September 9, 2010, at a few minutes before 6:30, life changed forever in San Bruno, California. The first view from my district office led one of my staffers to believe a plane had crashed in the hills. After all, San Francisco International is in my district and airline jets fly over nearby San Francisco International Airport routinely passing over San Bruno every day. The flames shot up over 100 feet in the air. But after 15 minutes, the flames didn't subside. It was as if a giant torch had been placed on what is normally a verdant hillside. This was a distant view of the PG&E natural gas pipeline explosion. Closer up, the scene was horrific. Four confirmed dead. Scores of people hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns, some over 50 percent of their bodies. And 6 days after this tragedy, three people are still missing. Thirty-seven homes were completely destroyed-- nothing but concrete pads left, or a weeping chimney, indicating what once had been. Twelve homes were standing shells and another 10 were damaged. We are at day six. The smoke has cleared. The ash has settled. And one thing is really very clear: the community of San Bruno rose together.
