SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – A powerful gas explosion triggered a major fire Thursday in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood, destroying at least one home, shattering windows, and shaking surrounding houses. Six people were hospitalized with injuries, three of them reportedly more serious.
Dramatic video captured the moment a Hayward-area home erupted under a clear blue sky, sending splintered wood and debris into the air as thick smoke billowed across the street. Brittany Maldonado, who lives nearby, described the scene: “We were sitting in the house and it just … everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls, and when we looked at the camera, it was like you were watching a war video.”
Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said three people were immediately hospitalized while three others sustained minor injuries. Three structures on two lots were heavily damaged, and some of the 75 responding firefighters had to retreat temporarily after feeling electric shocks from downed power lines.
The explosion occurred in Ashland, an unincorporated community near Hayward, which is located 15 miles south of Oakland and home to around 160,000 residents. The neighborhood consists of single-level homes with small lawns and nearby businesses. Construction work for wider sidewalks and bike lanes had been underway in the area at the time.
Investigators confirmed that a construction crew, unaffiliated with the utility, had damaged an underground gas line. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was notified around 7:35 a.m., and crews arrived to isolate the line, but gas continued leaking from multiple locations. Gas flow was halted at 9:25 a.m., and the explosion occurred about 10 minutes later. PG&E noted that the delay in fully stopping the gas contributed to the blast.
Footage from a doorbell camera showed a large excavator digging in front of the home with a worker standing nearby just before the explosion. Moments later, flames tore through the structure, blowing out walls and the roof. Bystanders appeared stunned before rushing to help, lifting debris and searching for victims. Emergency responders arrived quickly as the fire spread around the destroyed building.
The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate the cause and circumstances surrounding the explosion.