‘Mom’s glasses were blown off her face’: Explosion near Hayward leaves family rebuilding

A violent explosion in the Ashland area of unincorporated Alameda County near the city of Hayward last week blew eyeglasses off the eyes of a woman wearing them and and also killed two pets in the house the blast destroyed So wrote Jessica Fox of her parents experience during the Thursday blast which tore the home apart and hospitalized six including three with critical injuries Fox wrote about her family s hope for recovery while posting on a fundraising page Related Articles Like a post-apocalyptic movie Neighborhood stunned after Hayward-area explosion Executives reveal mistakes that impacted East Bay refinery fire response Six hurt homes heavily damaged after gas line accidentally cut explodes near Hayward Good Fire exhibit in Oakland shows native land stewardship practices East Bay man dies after becoming trapped in burning car Miraculously both my parents are safe Fox wrote My mom was in the living room when the house suddenly and violently exploded My mom s glasses were blown off her face Her phone wallet and ID clothing documents A lifetime s worth of tools and family heirlooms are gone in an instant The explosion in the block of East Lewelling Avenue happened about a m and caused a three-alarm fire It came after gas escaped a PG E line that was damaged by construction from a third-party crew not affiliated with the utility That crew damaged the line about a m utility spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian reported adding that crews later uncovered a second sight from which gas escaped the damage Leadership did not have an update on the condition of the three who were the greater part severely injured and hospitalized They were in stable condition Friday Alameda County Fire spokesperson Cheryl Hurd reported The other three had minor injuries and were out of the hospital The natural gas pipeline that exploded was installed in the s and had been damaged during fresh road construction work according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary inquiry Three buildings on two properties were destroyed including the home Fox wrote about Neighbors across the street from the one that was destroyed likened the post-explosion scene to a post-apocalyptic movie Fox s mother managed to rescue one of their dogs Millie and tried to crawl through the fire and rubble before firefighters intervened and pulled her to safety she wrote Tragically the other dog Bright Eyes and their kitty did not survive the blast Fox wrote that her dad was at work Her mother was home We are still in shock but incredibly thankful that my mom escaped alive and unharmed Fox wrote It s truly a miracle she walked away from this Fox wrote that the benefit seeks to replace what was lost in the home establish stable housing and help her father keep his business Fox wrote that a shop also was on the property The Red Cross provided the family with temporary hotel accommodations for two nights until the family could move in with relatives Our family is in good spirits despite the tragedy and stay positive while we figure out the next policies thru this she wrote Life is too short We are just soo grateful they are okay Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the explosion