Yesterday morning, a gas pipe rupture in San Leandro prompted an evacuation order affecting thousands of residents, with authorities requiring people in the Washington and Lewelling areas to leave their homes due to an immediate threat to life, as reported by the Alameda County Fire Department. The six-inch pipe, situated in a flooded canal at Lewelling Blvd. and Washington Ave., broke around 5:00 a.m., resulting in evacuations encompassing a neighborhood just west of the I-880 and I-238 split, the leak causing enough concern to action proactive measures, reminiscing the tragic 2010 San Bruno explosion, as noted by KTVU.
The evacuation was initiated at approximately 6:35 a.m. and, after several hours of work, rescinded by 10:45 a.m. PG&E crews hurried to the scene to manage the emergency, cap the leak, and commence the process of gas and power restoration to the adjacent areas. During the evacuation, the Marina Community Center and the San Leandro Senior Center opened their doors to shelter evacuees seeking temporary refuge from the hazard posed by the gas leak, as reported by NBC Bay Area.
As per KTVU, Captain Ali Khan from the San Leandro Police Department reflected on the serious implications of the situation, "When I received the call, the first thing I thought of was San Bruno. That is the worst case scenario which is what obviously we’re trying to avoid," and acknowledging some fortune in the weather conditions at the time which helped contain the scenario, "The positive news is because of the rain, where the gas leak is actually under water. So it’s fuming from under the water, which has helped us in the amount of evacuations we had to do." A resident, Chris Alvarez, told KTVU of the seriousness with which he took the evacuation, recounting the San Bruno incident with the words, "I saw what it did in San Bruno so it’s serious."
As the incident unfolded, San Leandro Police collaborated with the California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriff's Office, working with Alameda County Fire Department crews to mitigate the hazard and secure public safety. Around 400 customers were left without power due to the leak, as PG&E strategically shut off power to avoid further incidents and facilitate repair efforts. By late Sunday morning, the line was capped, repairs underway, and residents were allowed back into their homes.
