San Jose, CA- 5th Alarm/FF's Down 12-3-06

[Truck4 48]

Date: 12-3-06

Time: 0116hrs

Location: Edwards Ave and Vine St.

Departments:

Description: Heavy fire in a P/D with a gas explosion. (5) firefighters and (1) police officer injured.

Writer: Truck4

"One firefighter remains hospitalized today and crews were still battling flames eight hours after a house fire in San Jose spread to a natural gas main and caused an explosion, injuring six at the scene.

Five firefighters and a police officer were injured in the struggle to contain the blaze, which began at 1:16 a.m. on Edwards Avenue between Vine Street and South Almaden Avenue, according to the San Jose Fire Department.

No injuries to residents were reported, but the house was destroyed. Five of the six injured public safety personnel have been treated and released.

The firefighter who remains hospitalized suffered a back injury after being thrown back by the blast wave of natural gas exploding, which happened an hour into the response, a San Jose fire dispatcher said.

Homes in the surrounding area were evacuated overnight as firefighters, police officers and hazardous materials specialists descended on the location.

Flames worsened as gas from the main fed the fire. For hours, firefighters were in a "surround" mode but were unable to quell the gas-fed flames.

A spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said the home's gas meter was turned off early on in the fight. After the unexpected explosion, firefighters requested that the utility close off the underground gas main, which required extensive digging with heavy equipment, PG&E's Matt Havlik said. The main has now been shut off, Havlik said, allowing firefighters a chance to extinguish the fire altogether."