Last week's devastating gas pipe explosion that leveled a Hayward family home has left the community in shock and scrambling to support the victims. Jorge Duenas Ponce, his brother, sister, and two young children were inside their home at 867 E. Lewelling Boulevard when the explosion occurred at around 9:35 AM, as reported by KTVU. The Alameda County Fire Department has confirmed that a total of six people were injured, while two properties were destroyed in the blast.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Allie Fralick, a neighbor and friend of nearly 30 years to the family, described the situation as follows: "In a single moment, three adult siblings—two brothers and their sister—along with two young children, lost everything they owned." According to the same KTVU report, Fralick noted that the family was in the home when it blew up, and two of the adults and one of the children are still in the hospital with severe injuries. The other child was not physically injured, but also lost all belongings in the fire.
Federal and local agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board and PG&E, are investigating the incident. The blast resulted from a third-party construction crew hitting an underground gas line nearly two hours before the house erupted, causing significant damage to adjacent properties, as detailed by the San Francisco Chronicle. PG&E stated that the gas flow was shut down at 8:18 a.m. and again at 9:25 AM, yet the explosion happened shortly thereafter.
The Ponce family's catastrophe has galvanized the community, with neighbors like Brittany Maldonado expressing awareness of the fundraising efforts and sharing her own experience of displacement after her neighboring home suffered only a cracked window. In a statement obtained by KTVU, she and her husband are currently residing at a Holiday Inn Express in Castro Valley because they still do not have heat. Redgwick Construction, the Oakland-based company whose crew struck the gas line, has had no citations or violations in the last decade, per Cal-OSHA records.
Community members, still reeling from the explosion, are expected to attend the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting to address their concerns. The explosion has prompted vital questions surrounding the response to the known gas leak and the adequacy of evacuation measures, which officials say are made on a case-by-case basis, according to Hoodline. The Alameda County Fire Department is providing official updates on its website for those seeking the latest information.
