A family of three "miraculously" survived a gas explosion that destroyed their house in a leafy Los Altos neighborhood Thursday morning, county emergency officials said.
Dozens of firefighters spent about three hours working to free David Hu, the father of a six-year-old girl and four-year-old boy, after he was trapped underneath the collapsed roof of a back bedroom by the explosion, which occurred about 8:15 a.m. on Frontero Avenue.
Tom Walsh, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Fire Department, said Hu was finally freed about 11:50 a.m. Walsh said Hu was in stable condition at a local hospital with cuts and bruises and an injured right ankle. Hu was conscious and talking to firefighters during the rescue operation.
The children were rescued almost immediately. They were released to a family member after being examined at El Camino Hospital and treated for cuts and scrapes.
"We are very relieved," said Jeff Smith, a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric. The cause of the blast is still under investigation.
The blast was felt by neighbors at least 1,000 feet away.
Susan Hagerty, who lives next door, was having coffee in her kitchen when she heard what sounded like a sonic boom. "I grabbed the phone and ran out and called 911," she said.
Outside, her neighbor's home had been turned inside out, with debris tossed as high as 30 feet in the air. A children's toy cash register landed in a tree, and the ground was littered with shattered furniture, strips of insulation and stuffed teddy bears.
Terrance Helm, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, said Hu's wife, Chen Lu Liu, was visiting relatives in China when the explosion occurred.
Neighbors said the family was friendly but very private, and they did not know what Hu did for a living.
Property records show that he and his wife purchased the home in 2002 for $830,000.
This is the second time this year a gas explosion has destroyed a building in Santa Clara County. On Jan. 7, the Los Gatos Auto Mall was destroyed after plumbers who were working on a gas water heater did not disconnect the gas, PG&E's Smith said.
The cause of Thursday's explosion will not be known for several days. PG&E's Smith said that the leak could have occurred either inside or outside the house and that "anything" can cause gas to explode. "It can be a spark off your shoe," he said.
He warned residents to be alert to the rotten-egg smell of a leaky gas line. "If you smell any kind of gas, get out of your house as quickly as possible and call PG&E and the fire department."
Distributed by the Associated Press
