SAN BRUNO, Calif., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Utility technicians began purging gas from distribution lines in the San Bruno, Calif., neighborhood to try to restore service after last week's huge explosion.
The expulsion of gas from the transmission system is being done to clear the pipelines and test their integrity, Pacific Gas and Electric said in a statement Saturday, the Bay City News Service reported.
"This is a safe and standard restoration practice," the PG&E statement said, explaining residents in the neighborhood may smell gas in the air but should not be alarmed.
A ruptured 30-inch pipeline near San Bruno Avenue and Skyline Boulevard caused an explosion . Thursday that sent a fireball shooting into the sky. Seven people died from the fire and six people were missing, San Bruno police said. The fire destroyed 38 homes and damaged seven others.
The National Transportation Safety Board and PG&E are investigating claims by residents of the neighborhood that they reported smelling gas in the air before the explosion.
