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HAYWARD — Three people who were hospitalized Thursday when a PG&E gas line exploded and caused a three-alarm fire at two homes in the Ashland neighborhood of unincorporated Alameda County remained in stable condition Friday, officials said Friday.
The explosion happened about 9:38 a.m. in the 800 block of East Lewelling Boulevard as workers from PG&E were in the process of repairing the gas line. An independent construction crew not affiliated with the utility or a utility project accidentally cut the line about 7:30 a.m.
All six people were taken by ambulance to a hospital. The three who were most critically hurt had injuries that included burns to an unknown degree, respiratory issues and bone fractures, Alameda County Fire spokesperson Cheryl Hurd said in a statement.
Three other people who went to a hospital all had minor injuries, Hurd said. Two other people who were missing for hours after the explosion were found later Thursday.
Investigators have not determined what caused the gas line to explode. PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said via email Friday that the utility is also investigating.
One question that has not been answered fully is why nearby residents were not evacuated during the two-hour interim between when the leak first was reported to PG&E and the explosion.
Alameda County Fire Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said evacuation orders are a collaborative decision made between PG&E and public safety agencies. Sarkissian, the PG&E spokesperson, added that further investigation would be required to determine why an evacuation order was not called earlier.
Nishimoto said that when firefighters arrived, they sounded a third alarm to protect other homes in the area. He added that firefighters could feel electricity as they moved through one of the homes because of power lines that fell on top of it.
Fire crews did fully control the fire Thursday night. The blaze caused significant damage to houses on two properties in an area where an Alameda County public works project already had left road dug up in front of homes on East Lewelling Boulevard.
Please check back for updates.
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Rick Hurd
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