California pipeline rupture

By Diamond Fisher
April 19, 2017 10:30 a.m.
San Bernardino, Calif.- At 8:11 a.m. this morning an explosion happened in a residential

area off of Duffy Street and Highland Avenue. The explosion was the result of the Calnev

Pipeline, a 14-inch gasoline pipeline, rupturing.

The explosion sprayed fuels on the nearby homes that were either consumed by flames or

exploded.

We started to head for the door and when she opened the door, the smoke just started

rolling in. We looked outside. The grass was burning Everything was burning, even the

concrete, one survivor Bill Stewart reported.

Stewart had been visiting a insurance client who lived a block away from the explosion,

when he and his client heard a loud noise that they soon discovered to be the pipeline explosion.

The exact number of injuries and death have not been determined but there have been

reports.

One report of death comes from a woman by the name of Robbie Brown who escaped her

home before it exploded with a few of her relatives still inside.

Her house blew up behind her as she came out. The house is gone. If anybody was in

there, they went with it, Phil Arviso, a council aide, said after talking with the woman.

Hospital officials say that seven burn victims were admitted to the San Bernardino County

Medical Center but their conditions are not available. The youngest victim was reported to be a

one year old girl with third-degree burns.

Gregory Garcia, a spokesman for the mayor of San Bernardino, reports that about 700 people

have been evacuated to the Red Cross evacuation center set up to treat victims. Red Cross
workers have observed that nearly two hours after the explosion 30 residents arrived at the center;

they were provided transportation by either the two vans or bus that were being used for

evacuation.

According to the Valnev gas company the cause of the rupture is unknown, they assume it

to be a result of the train derailment that took place two weeks ago and killed four people.

San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman says that they were assured by the owners of

the Calnev Pipeline that the area was safe after the derailment and experts also examined it and

determined that there was no danger.

A similar explosion took place on December 22, 1960 when the pipeline was carrying jet

fuel and ruptures in the Las Vegas Valley. Between 50,000 and 100,000 US gallons of fuel spilled

for two hours until it ignited and forced roads to close. The cause of the explosions was suspected

to be due to previous construction in the area damaging the pipeline.

The pipeline is owned by the company Kinder Morgan Energy Partners and consists of

two parallel lines that carry diesel fuel from Los Angeles.

Southern California Gas Co. workers were in the neighborhood to shut off gas lines in

order to avoid any possibility of natural gas explosion. Work is being done to treat victims and

clean the mess, until then roads have been closed and the smoke from the explosion can be seen

as far away as neighboring communities.