A PG&E pipeline ruptured and exploded in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood of San Bruno, CA. Investigation into the incident found that PG&E had been in violation of regulations and laws regarding the type of piping used for the line. A 30-inch-diameter segment of the natural gas pipeline (installed in 1956) ruptured, and the resulting explosion created a crater about 72 feet long and 26 feet wide and released approximately 47.6 million standard cubic feet of natural gas.—(NTSB)
Date of event: September 9, 2010
Impact:
- 8 fatalities; 58 injuries
- 38 houses destroyed; 70 damaged
- $90 million settlement
Related Resources:
- Pipeline Accident Report: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Rupture and Fire, San Bruno, CA, September 9, 2010
- S. Hrg. 112-470: Pipeline Safety Since San Bruno and Other Incidents, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, First Session, October 18, 2011
- CPUC Staff Report Alleges PG&E’s Violation of Laws and Regulations Led to San Bruno Pipeline Rupture; Penalty Consideration Case Begins
- Pipeline Accident Report: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Rupture and Fire, San Bruno, CA, September 9, 2010
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Photo: (Credit: Brocken Inaglory/wiki user) Devastation in San Bruno, CA caused by a gas pipeline explosion.