Crews finished repair work Thursday morning on a gas line that exploded in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood a day prior, causing five buildings to catch fire and 40-foot flames to shoot into the air.
By about 6:30 a.m., electricity had been restored to all 2,500 people who lost power, according to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Three hundred people remained without gas, said J.D. Guidi, a spokesman for the utility. Dozens of residents near the fire remain displaced.
PG&E has completed its repairs and was working to remove water from the system so “we can introduce gas back into the pipe and begin our relights later in the day,” Guidi said, adding that the water was from the fire fight.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Materials Administration has also been evaluating the situation, but it is now deferring to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates incidents involving pipelines. The NTSB is sending a team of investigators to the scene, the agency said Thursday. The California Public Utilities Commission is also investigating the incident.
The fire broke out at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday outside Hong Kong Lounge II, a dim sum restaurant near the intersection of Geary Boulevard and Parker Avenue, said San Francisco Fire Chief Joanna Hayes-White. Eight construction workers for MasTec — a Florida-based company hired by Verizon to work on the project — were digging to install fiber-optic cables when they hit a natural gas main.
Residents and witnesses to the explosion were sent running for safety. Many were stunned that no one was injured.
Rosie LaVere was walking her dog, Plaza, a day after the blaze. She surveyed the charred building that once housed Hong Kong Lounge II.
“The restaurant was a major part of the neighborhood,” LaVere said.
On Thursday, fire crews remained on scene to keep watch for any rekindling, said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a Fire Department spokesman.
Charcoal still covered the streets, hours after the fire had been extinguished. There were remnants of yellow police tape streaming from hydrants and streetlight poles.
Workers sipped on coffee and stood near nine PG&E trucks that were parked by the Mel’s Drive-In on Beaumont Avenue and Geary Boulevard. Westbound traffic on Geary Boulevard was blocked off between Beaumont and Parker avenues.
Irina Galafutnik stood near the barricades and police tape as officers directed traffic. Galafutnik was at work when the blaze occurred, but she didn’t hear the initial explosion.
“It was the first time in my life I saw such a terrible fire,” she said, shaking her head.
PG&E has not yet confirmed whether the gas line was marked. California law gives PG&E two days to respond to requests from excavators to locate and mark underground pipelines. A company spokesman said the request had been made to the utility, but as of Thursday it remained unclear whether the company had marked the lines.
Verizon obtained a permit to dig at the location, according to public records.
John Higgins, group president of the utility services group at MasTec, expressed “deep concern” for those affected by the explosion.
“We are working in close coordination with the public safety officials and understand that no injuries or fatalities were reported in connection with the incident,” Higgins said in a statement. “We thank the emergency personnel, firefighters and other first responders for their quick actions today and for their service to the community. Along with others, we have initiated an investigation of the event and that investigation is ongoing at this time.”
The company has no significant complaints or accidents reported in the last 10 years, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In 2018, two safety complaints were filed with OSHA against MasTec, a Florida-based company, expressed “deep concern” in a statement for those affected by the explosion.: one in Van Nuys (Los Angeles County) and another Kent, Wash.
The complaint in Van Nuys, which occurred during the construction of power and communication lines, is being contested. The complaint in Kent, which also involved the construction of power and communication lines, has been closed.
One complaint filed in 2016, also closed, occurred in Santa Ana (Orange County).
An evacuation shelter was opened for those displaced by the explosion Wednesday in San Francisco at Cathedral of St. Mary’s at 1111 Gough St.
A mix of residential and commercial buildings were affected by the blaze, including Hong Kong Lounge II, which was shuttered due to damage from the fire.
A woman who identified herself only by her last name, Kwong, said she was the property owner that housed the dim sum restaurant and two residences on a higher floor.
“The restaurant would have been so busy, because it’s just the second day of the Lunar New Year,” Kwong said. “They’ll probably have to tear it down. I think we’ll try to rebuild.”
Huckleberry Youth Services, located near the intersection where the explosion happened, announced via email that its office had been displaced by the fire.
Doug Styles, 54, the executive director of the nonprofit, spent the morning surveying the damage of the organization’s beige headquarters located next door to Hong Kong Lounge II.
Nearly 3 inches of water had accumulated in the basement where Huckleberry’s computer equipment was stored. The first and second floors of the building also had water damage, and the roof was riddled with holes caused by the flames.
Though the administrative offices and the youth service’s programs could be moved to another location, Styles said, many artifacts dating back to the “Summer of Love” in 1967 were housed in the building.
“We need to figure out what’s salvageable,” he said. “Today’s an assessment day.”
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer J.D. Morris contributed to this story.
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