SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A rupture on the same pipeline that caused last year's San Bruno, Calif., explosion triggered a mudslide along a major interstate highway, authorities said.
Officials at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said they weren't sure what caused the failure of a gas pipeline near Woodside, Calif., during the weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The pipeline ruptured Sunday afternoon, triggering a landslide that closed part of a freeway for four hours. PG&E officials said they suspect the pipeline ruptured at a dent, which they said was likely caused by another person or company, the Chronicle adds.
The rupture was the second failure reported during four days of testing.
In late October, a natural gas pipeline failed along a weld seam during pressure testing by PG&E, leaving a large crater in a field. No one was reported injured. The pipeline was transiting water at the time.
A Sept. 9, 2010, explosion ejected a 28-foot section of a PG&E pipeline out of the ground, causing a fireball in a San Bruno neighborhood that left eight people dead and 38 homes destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board said defective pipeline welds contributed to the explosion. PG&E was faulted for inadequate record-keeping after the company argued the San Bruno line didn't have weld seams.
