Peninsula Gas Leak: Flames 6 Feet High Reported After Fire Sparked; Water Main Busted

MENLO PARK, CA – About 12 residents are back in their Menlo Park apartments Wednesday after they were evacuated Tuesday night when a gas leak ignited, fire officials said.

The displaced residents spent the night at the Rosewood Sand Hill hotel, which "very graciously" put up the victims for the night, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

A PG&E worker was doing electrical work in a hole near the apartment complex in the 300 block of Sand Hill Circle when a spark lit a hidden gas leak at about 8:30 p.m., Schapelhouman said.

The fire burned through a water main, which started spraying water 10 feet into the air and flooded the area.

The worker was wearing flash protection gear and was uninjured. Flames from the fire were 6 feet high.

The geyser of water put out the flames by 9 p.m., but once the fire was out, the gas leak started to spread so 20 residents of the apartment building were evacuated.

PG&E crews shut off the gas in 20 minutes, and the water was shut off in 45 minutes. Eight to 10 residents who did not stay in the hotel were able to reenter their units after the gas and water breaks were capped, Schapelhouman said.

– By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock