Personal Injury Lawyers > Personal Injury Blog > Explosions and Fires > San Bruno Explosion Reveals Inadequacies in PG&E Emergency Response Systems

Personal Injury Blog

San Bruno Explosion Reveals Inadequacies in PG&E Emergency Response Systems

It took PG&E emergency response crews at least one hour and 46 minutes to shut off the valve of the gas pipeline traced to a massive explosion that ripped through San Bruno last week.  The explosion killed four people and injured several others.  It also caused massive property damage.  In the wake of the explosion, California injury lawyers are finding out that PG&E emergency response systems at one of the state’s largest utility companies, belongs in the Stone Age.

According to Pacific Gas and Electric, it took at least one hour and 46 minutes to shut off the valve, and control the blaze.  Between the time the company found out about the explosion and the time that it managed to shut off the valve, the massive fireball was continuously fed by gas that streamed in from a ruptured pipeline.  It’s the kind of emergency response you might expect to find in a Third World country.  It’s been horrifying to learn that in 21st-century America, it actually takes close to two hours for an emergency gas valve to be shut off during a major emergency.  Questions are being asked about whether it’s time for utility companies to now shift from a manual valve shut off system to an automated system, in which it will be easier to shut off a valve, thereby cutting off fuel supply.

Those expecting the company to immediately take a decision about installing automatic valve shutoffs for its pipelines, shouldn’t hold their breath.  Pacific Gas and Electric says it will “evaluate the wisdom” of having automated shutoff valves in place of manual systems.  It’s hard to see what more incentive there can be for a company to install a quicker faster, life-saving system, than the deaths of four people.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also considering the time angle as it continues its investigation into the explosion.  The board will specifically look into how far the company crews had to travel through rush-hour traffic before they actually reached the valve.  They will also look at whether the response crews were aware about the exact location of the valve, something they are not sure of at this point in time.

Besides the four people who were killed, the explosion tore through hundreds of homes in the San Bruno neighborhood where the pipeline ruptured and exploded.  At least 80 homes have been declared off-limits to residents, which mean that these people cannot return back to their homes since they have been declared unsafe.

Since the explosion, it’s been frightening to think of the risk that many Californians are exposed to because of utility companies that fail to invest in repair and maintenance of pipelines.  In the days leading up to the explosion, residents had complained of the smell of gas in the neighborhood, but no action was taken.  Now we learn that it took close to two hours for emergency response crews to shut-off a valve to control the blaze.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of explosions and fires. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

---