FAA says no plane crashes have been reported
A ball of flame towers over people and equipment in San Bruno, Calif. The cause of the fire, which has reportedly destroyed several homes, is not yet known.San Bruno, Calif. -- A local fire chief says a gas line explosion likely caused the massive fire burning homes in a residential neighborhood south of San Francisco.
San Bruno Fire Chief Dennis Haag told KPIX-TV that he believes a high-pressure gas line blew just after 6 p.m. Thursday.
Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman J.D. Guidi says the utility company is looking into the possibility of a natural gas explosion, but he has no further details.
Live television footage showed more than a dozen homes destroyed, with flames reaching as high as 60 feet in the air as the fire incinerated everything in its path.
A person who answered the phone at Seton Medical Center in nearby Daly City says the hospital is on a triage alert as the injured are brought in.
The fire is burning in the town of San Bruno a few miles from San Francisco International Airport, prompting speculation the blaze was sparked by a plane crash. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency has no record of a crash.
Spokesmen for local airports also said they knew of no missing planes.
Planes and helicopters flew over the neighborhood dumping water in an effort to stanch the flames.
Witnesses say a loud explosion was felt just before the flames erupted around 6 p.m.
Jane Porcelli, 62, said she lives on a hill above where the fire is centered. She said she thought she heard a plane overhead with a struggling engine.
"And then you heard this bang. And everything shook except the floor, so we knew it wasn't an earthquake," Porcelli said.
"I feel helpless that I can't do anything. I just gotta sit by and watch."