HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) — A gas explosion set off a major fire in a Hayward neighborhood on Thursday after obliterating at least one home, blowing out windows and shaking nearby homes. Six people were taken to hospitals for injuries, fire officials said.
The Alameda County Fire Department says at least 75 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire at the 800 block of East Lewelling Blvd. It happened around 9:30 a.m., just hours after a construction crew damaged a gas line.
At least six people were transported to the hospital Thursday morning after a massive explosion and a large fire in Hayward, fire officials say. Dramatic video shows the shocking moments.
Fire officials believe two of the six people injured were workers in the street. Hospital officials say all the victims were taken to Eden Medical Center, and three of six victims are in serious condition.
Dramatic footage captured by a home’s Ring doorbell camera showed a large excavator being used to dig in front of the home that exploded as a worker stood nearby.
Within moments, a massive explosion and flames blew out the walls and the roof of the home. People nearby appeared to be dazed for a few seconds, before running toward the home to search for any victims. Several workers lifted a large piece of debris from where it landed near the excavator.
“We were sitting in the house and it just… everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls and when we looked at the camera, it was like you were watching a war video,” Brittany Maldonado, who provided the doorbell cam footage, told ABC7 News.
Two homes were impacted by the explosion and fire, and a workshop in the back of one of them. Another home has some damage on the side facing the explosion. The neighborhood is a mixed housing and business area right off Highway 238.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was alerted around 7:35 a.m. that a construction crew – not with the utility – had damaged an underground gas line. Utility workers arrived to isolate the damaged line, but gas was leaking from various locations.
Workers stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m., and the explosion followed shortly afterward.
Gas was flowing for two hours but the explosion happened 10 minutes after the line was shut off, PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian confirmed. She said it took time to isolate the line and stop the flow of gas.
Fire officials say that all residents have been accounted for and no one is missing.
PG&E, Cal/OSHA, NTSB and several other agencies have launched investigations following Thursday’s explosion,
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Stay with ABC7 News for updates on this developing story.
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.