Doorbell video shows a house erupt as crews worked to stop a leak along East Lewelling Boulevard.
HAYWARD, CA — A gas explosion destroyed a home and ignited a three-alarm fire in the unincorporated Ashland community near Hayward on Thursday morning, injuring six people and damaging nearby buildings, authorities said. The blast followed hours after a construction crew struck an underground gas line along the 800 block of East Lewelling Boulevard.
The incident matters now because it unfolded in seconds as utility and fire crews worked to contain a leak reported before sunrise, raising immediate questions about construction safety, emergency procedures and gas pipeline controls in a dense East Bay corridor. Alameda County Fire Department officials said the blast came shortly after Pacific Gas & Electric crews isolated the damaged line. CAL/OSHA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations, and residents from several properties were evacuated as firefighters and search-and-rescue teams secured the scene.
Calls reporting a ruptured line came in around 7:35 a.m., according to utility officials. By 9:25 a.m., crews had stopped the flow of gas to the affected segment. Minutes later—around 9:35 a.m.—a single-story house on East Lewelling exploded, sending lumber, shingles and glass into the street and over neighboring roofs. A doorbell camera captured the moment a nearby excavator idled as the home blew apart and flames rose from the debris. “Boxes fell over and everything shook,” said Brittany Maldonado, who lives across the street with her husband. She said they later watched their camera footage and realized the blast had leveled their neighbor’s home.
Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said three people were transported immediately with more serious injuries and three others with minor injuries, while responders checked adjacent lots for additional victims. In all, about 75 firefighters, eight engines and two ladder trucks battled the fire as downed power lines briefly forced crews to pull back. Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said a non-utility construction team damaged the underground line during sidewalk and bike-lane work and confirmed gas was flowing for nearly two hours before it was shut off at 9:25 a.m. The explosion followed roughly 10 minutes later. The blast severely damaged three structures across two lots, including at least one residence and a workshop. Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters evacuated nearby properties as debris smoldered and crews doused hotspots through the morning.
The neighborhood sits just south of Interstate 238 and includes single-family homes and small businesses. County records show East Lewelling Boulevard has been under a yearlong infrastructure project to widen sidewalks, add bike lanes and rehabilitate pavement between Meekland Avenue and Langton Way. The home that exploded—listed as a mid-century, four-bedroom property—stood among older houses and storefronts on a busy commuter route. Witnesses described a “giant boom,” with windows blown out across the street. One resident said she saw emergency workers pull construction laborers from the area moments after the fire flashed through the debris. Firefighters later reported finding a badly burned person in the roadway as medics moved patients to Eden Medical Center.
The legal and procedural response is already underway. County fire officials classified the blaze as a three-alarm incident and established a perimeter along the 800 block for search, rescue and utility work. CAL/OSHA opened a workplace-safety investigation into the construction site practices, while the NTSB said Thursday it is sending a team to examine the gas-line rupture and sequence from leak to explosion. Utility and county investigators are expected to review marking and locating records, crew qualifications, dig permits and isolation steps leading up to 9:25 a.m., when the line was shut off. Officials did not immediately release the names or ages of the injured. No criminal charges had been announced as of Thursday evening, and authorities did not provide a damage estimate.
By early afternoon, firefighters and PG&E workers still crowded the street, their boots crunching through shattered glass. A passerby tripped on a splintered beam that had blown across the sidewalk. “We’re continuously working together to try to make sure that everyone is safe,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roberto Morales said at the scene. Across the block, residents sat on lawn chairs in a neighbor’s driveway, waiting for clearance to reenter their homes. A few doors down, workers used hand tools to lift charred boards as investigators photographed the cratered lot and mapped debris angles around the excavator that appeared in the doorbell video.
As of Thursday evening, the fire was out but the block remained cordoned off as investigators documented the scene and utility crews monitored the isolated line. Officials said further updates would come after state and federal teams finish their initial assessments in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated December 11, 2025.