Politics & Government
UPDATE: Five People Believed to be Missing From San Bruno Neighborhood
Sen. Barbara Boxer calls for immediate inspection of intrastate natural gas pipeline. State will hold a hearing on the incident next week.
UPDATE: As of this afternoon, officials are saying that five people are still missing from the San Bruno disaster zone.
The missing people have not been identified, but according to news reports, one of them may be 81-year-old Elizabeth Torres. Two of Torres' daughters are among eight blast victims hospitalized in San Francisco with critical or serious injuries from Thursday's explosion and fire.
Hospital spokespeople said this morning that the patients' conditions remained the same.
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Boxer joined other federal, state and local officials this morning on a tour of the Crestmoor Canyon site where, at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, a 30-inch PG&E steel gas transmission pipeline ruptured, causing a massive explosion and fire that killed four people and destroyed 37 homes.
Boxer said the disaster was "a heartbreaker" that "raises a lot of questions" about the safety of other pipelines in residential areas. The senator said the investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, will "check if there was adequate maintenance on the pipeline, and any recent excavation on the pipeline," as well as "if PG&E had an emergency plan to respond to this, and how it was carried out."
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Boxer called for the "need to accelerate inspections" of other pipelines in residential and urban areas around the state. "I have to be very clear that we're trying to prevent this from ever happening again," she said.
Boxer said she was told by PG&E that customers who are worried about pipelines in their area can call the utility and will be told where the nearest ones are.
PG&E President Chris Johns was also at the news conference, and said that the utility "will do what's right for the folks to help this community."
Johns addressed reports that residents smelled natural gas in the days and weeks prior to the explosion, and said officials have not found any records of calls to PG&E about a problem in the first nine days of September, or a record of their crews being in the area.
The California Public Utilities Commission has established a toll-free number and email address for people to say if they noticed the smell prior to the explosion. People can call (800) 789-0550 or send an e-mail to SBFire@cpuc.ca.gov.
Boxer said because the natural gas pipeline that exploded was an intrastate line, it falls under the responsibility of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Johns said PG&E should be finished inspecting its three main Peninsula transmission lines by Sunday.
While residents are eager to get back into their homes, only a few people have been allowed in the disaster zone to retrieve medicine.
Bay City News and Patch Editor Laila Kearney contributed to this report.
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