First Responders Recall Experiences on Night of Fire

For the first time, some of the first responders who were on the scene of the Sept. 9 gas explosion and fire shared Tuesday what it was like on that scary night.

Many weren't on duty when the explosion happened at 6:20 p.m. But they said they rushed to the Crestmoor Canyon area when the call for help went out and did what they were trained to do.

Overall, more than 200 firefighters and police officers responded to the disaster, representing agencies from throughout San Mateo County and from as far away as Sacramento.

For San Bruno first responders, especially, it was their biggest test of valor to date.

"I've never seen anything like this in my career," said Fire Chief Dennis Haag, who has  30 years experience.

Capt. Bill Forester was at the city's main fire station on El Camino Real when the first alarm sounded. He looked out the back door and saw a fireball that looked like, as one emergency worker described it, "the Saturn V rocket tipped upside down on liftoff."

At first, Forester said, he was hearing reports that a plane from San Francisco International Airport had crashed. Then the other possible scenarios started rushing through his mind.

"Personally, I thought it was a terrorist attack," he said.

The scene was chaotic as his engine company, Engine 51, made its way up San Bruno Avenue, while the fireball billowed in the sky and onlookers blocked traffic as they gawked at the explosion.

When he first arrived at the scene, he was flagged down by another firefighter to help a man whose arms and legs were on fire. He took hold of the man and called upon others, including San Bruno police Sgt. Michael Guldner, who had just arrived as well, to help douse the flames.

As Forester and other firefighters got closer to the fire, he said, they tried to get access to the nearest water supply, but the fire hydrants were dry because of a water main break.

"In my mind, all I was concerned about was whether there would be a second explosion," Forester said.

Crews had to connect hoses from San Bruno Avenue and Sneath Lane to battle the flames, said South San Francisco firefighter Anthony Ottoboni, and many of the residents who were fleeing their burning neighborhood helped drag the hoses.

First responders called upon other residents to drive people with injuries to hospitals as they were having  communication problems, said San Bruno firefighter John Priolo, whose engine company on Earl Avenue was nearest to the fire.

"I thank God for the citizens of San Bruno who came out of the woodworks to provide assistance," police Sgt. Guldner said of the people who helped during the fire and afterward with their support.

As the fire continued to mushroom, fed by the natural gas that took PG&E more than an hour to shut off, some of the police officers who were first at the scene aided the firefighters by going door-to-door to evacuate the neighborhood as quickly as possible.

At one point, said South San Francisco police Officer Kent Chetcuti, they were right up against the flames without any special protective gear so they knew they had to move swiftly.

"I thought to myself, 'We have to start making our way up the hill because the flames are getting pretty close,'" Chetcuti said.

The first responders said they were grateful for all the other agencies that came to help fight the fire and evacuate people from their homes.

Central County Fire Capt. Jake Pelk said he was especially proud of the fact that all the agencies in the county train together often, which helped them coordinate efforts on the night of the explosion.

San Bruno police Officer Scott Rogge, who was at Crestmoor Elementary for its Back to Night when he heard the explosion, said the first responders, however, can't take all of the credit.

He said it made him proud to live in San Bruno knowing that everyday people were running into houses to save neighbors and assisting firefighters and police with the evacuation, and that organizations and schools volunteered their efforts after the fire.

"I've been in this city for 30 years, and in this neighborhood for five years, and I've never seen people come together like this," Rogge said. "To me, these are the true heroes."