(KMJ)
A massive fireball rocked northwest Fresno Friday afternoon. The blast, according to witness reports, rose to heights of more than 100 feet near the Fresno County Peace Officer’s Gun Range. Some said the flames may have reached as high as 200 feet.
Fresno Fire Department Public Information Officer Pete Martinez was at the KMJ studios at the time of the explosion and said it triggered two alarms. “We don’t know what actually caused the gas rupture”, Martinez said initially. But after further investigation, it appears that a Fresno County subcontractor driving a back hoe struck a 12 inch PG&E natural gas line.
“He’s been injured very badly. He’s been life-flighted out of here,” Sheriff’s Spokesman Tony Botti told KMJ News. The county road worker, who underwent surgery Friday evening, has not been identified.
Most of the other injured victims were inmates on a work release program from jail.
Fresno Fire Chief Kerri Donis said there are 13 victims with four in critical condition. St. Agnes and CRMC are handling most of the patients. “The significant damage is going to be the victims, the railway and possibly the freeway”, Chief Donis said.
The blast caused Highway 99 to be shut down in both directions. Southbound lanes opened around 4pm after being halted for about two hours. Herndon Ave re-opened about 30 minutes later. Some trains in the area were also stopped, however Amtrak reports no stoppages. School buses for area students had to be re-routed.
Riley, a student at River Bluff, told KMJ News: “I heard a loud boom…and it looked like every cop in the city was here”. After-school events at River Bluff were cancelled.
The incident not only caused a huge clog on Hwy 99 at Herndon, but triggered severe slowdowns on Highways 41 and 180.
Hot spots were still being snuffed out by crews well into the 5pm hour.
High Speed Rail officials say, while they are working in the area, they are not responsible for the explosion.
An independent engineering company, Engineers for Exponent, has been hired by PG&E to investigate the incident.
Stay tuned to KMJ for more details.
