Flames shot up as high as 35 feet following a gas main break at the Hong Kong Lounge II Restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond District Wednesday afternoon, reports SF Gate.
The fire spread to at least 5 buildings, including one building across the street. The latest information as of 3:53 p.m. Pacific Time is that no injuries have been reported.
Intense flames burned for more than two hours before Pacific Gas and Electric crews were able to shut off the gas. The task was difficult because crews reportedly needed to dig a trench to get to the shutoff valve. A PG&E spokesperson said crews had to work very deliberately and carefully to avoid cutting other lines. He also said state law mandated that workers dig through the asphalt by hand.
“I was going through an intersection and I heard a small explosion like something behind me, and I looked up and saw people in front of me just screaming and yelling, and I turned around at that point and I saw flames coming toward me. I actually thought it was a bomb for a second,” witness Micheal Comstock said to ABC7 News.
Authorities say a construction crew doing fiber optic work may have breached a gas main setting off the explosion. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White told reporters eight construction workers were in the area and all have been accounted for.
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Classes continued as normal at the nearby University of San Francisco.
“The fire department has this handled, and the rest of the city is safe, too,” Hayes-White said.
Hong Kong Lounge II is a popular dim sum restaurant. Lines on a typical weekend often extend outside onto the sidewalk.
The restaurant was open when the fire broke out, but there’s been very little information reported about the restaurant, workers or customers. However, emergency personnel emphasize that they have no reports of injury.
Nearby businesses and apartments have been evacuated. About 3,000 people are without power.
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