Officials probe deadly California gas blast

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The scorched shells of suburban San Francisco homes sat empty Saturday as hundreds of people waited for investigators to let them return to the scene of a gas line explosion and fire.

Authorities Saturday found the remains of two more people killed, bringing the death toll to six. They also say five are still missing.

Homes crumbled under a layer of white ash as crews tried to restore basic services such as water to those standing and make sure there was no further danger from the ruptured pipe.

"We want to make sure that the gas lines are safe," San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane said.

Some residents were allowed back into a limited area to retrieve belongings, but Ruane said he doubts any will be able to return permanently Saturday.

A group of local, state and federal officials toured the damaged area and described a ghost-town full of remnants of cars melted in driveways and pieces of houses, some left with just the chimney standing. Nearly 40 homes were destroyed and seven severely damaged, while dozens of other homes suffered less severe damage in the fire that sped across 15 acres.

At least 50 people were hurt, some critically, and crews keep searching the wreckage. Among the dead are Jacquelin Greig, 44, her daughter Janessa, 13, and Jessica Morales, 20.

The section of gas pipeline that ruptured and exploded was ranked as high risk because it ran through a highly populated area, state and federal authorities said yesterday.

Greig, one of the victims, worked for the state Public Utilities Commission reviewing Pacific Gas & Electric's investment plans to upgrade its natural gas lines, including another risky section of the same pipeline within miles of her home, a colleague confirmed.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration classified the 30-inch diameter transmission line, which ran for about a mile and a half near Greig's home, as a "high consequence area" requiring more stringent inspections called integrity assessments, agency spokeswoman Julia Valentine said. Nationwide, only about 7 percent of gas lines have that classification, she said.

Officials were still trying to determine what led up to the blast. They took measurements of the blown out section of the steel gas pipe, and may send them to Washington, D.C., where examination under a microscope could help pinpoint what caused it to fracture, said Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, who was at the scene.

The utility is about two-thirds of the way through a review of phone records to check for complaints about gas in the area, said PG&E president Chris Johns. Residents have said they alerted PG&E of gas odors in the neighborhood before the disaster.