Gas Meter Explodes, Starts One-Alarm Fire In San Jose
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A gas line burst and caught fire in a two story office building in San Jose Wednesday morning, causing several nearby residents to be evacuated.
San Jose fire officials said it happened shortly before 4:00 a.m. in the 1900 block of The Alameda. The fire was contained less than an hour later, but along with the evacuations, it did cause some road closures in the area.
"First concern is the residents because they are sound asleep, and that's where a lot of them get burned and killed. Our first operation was to get people evacuated in these nearby apartments. It's 3 o'clock in the morning, but you have to get your babies and kids out of there as quick as possible until we get this thing under control," said firefighter George Guerrero.
He said crews were able to spray water on the gas meter as another crew shut off the supply line.
Maureen Lynn was one of a handful of residents who was sound asleep, before being jolted awake by a loud noise.
"I just heard a big bang and I asked my son, what the heck was that," she said. "He said we have a fire outside and it was actually right outside of our window."
All of the evacuees have been allowed to return to their residence and no injuries were reported.
San Jose fire officials said investigators will be looking into the fire as they want to know how the gas meter caught fire so quickly, whether it was an old pipe or if it was arson.