Over the past 28 hours I've been watching the coverage of the natural gas explosion and fire that destroyed a San Bruno, California, neighborhood. A 30-inch natural gas main apparently ruptured, and the ensuing explosion destroyed 37 homes and badly damaged 8 others. Four people died and others were injured, some burned badly.
Two of the people who died worked at the California Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco, where I worked from 2001 until 2005. Jacqueline Greig and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa were killed in the blast. Jacqueline Greig worked in the commission's Division of Ratepayer Advocates and was listed as a member of the natural gas committee of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Greig had worked at the CPUC for 21 years.
The scenes on television were horrific. One house was completely engulfed in the early evening. By nightfall, more homes were burning. I felt sad for the homeowners and their families, as well as the city of San Bruno.
I also had a bit of schadenfreude regarding Pacific Gas and Electric Company. There were reports that neighbors had smelled gas and contacted the utility. PG&E officials reportedly said they were looking into their call records.
Two years ago there was a similar explosion that destroyed one home and damaged another in Rancho Cordova. One man was killed, and his daughter and granddaughter were injured. The natural gas pipeline involved was only two inches wide.
Earlier this year PG&E lost a multimillion-dollar election campaign that it funded to make it harder for communities to form their own electric and natural gas utility districts. Now this conflagration in San Bruno.
I'm sorry for the families in that affected neighborhood. And right now it sucks to be PG&E.
Writing Diva
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