Crime & Safety

Explosion Felt Like an Earthquake, Says Neighbor

Ken O'Neill, who lives doors away from where a blast occurred Wednesday that erupted into a destructive fire, thought the shaking was from an earthquake.

To a neighbor who was home when Wednesday’s explosion and fire occurred in a Northwest Square condominium, it seemed like it was an earthquake.

Ken O’Neill, who lives just down the block from where the two-story condo was destroyed, said he felt his whole house shake shortly after noon.

“I was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and I looked at my watch and it was 12:10," O'Neill said. “It was a helluva boom.”  

Find out what's happening in Cupertinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He went outside to look around but was unable to see smoke yet from the nearby condo, which was destroyed by the blaze.

"So far the cause is pointing to a gas leak that was going in to the house," said Jeremy Davis, Santa Clara County fire investigator.

Find out what's happening in Cupertinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The ignition point would be the pilot to the hot water heater or the furnace. But it does look like the cause was a leak within a PG&E line, from a junction right by the house."  

He added, "It fed underground and percolated up into the garage." 

The explosion is under investigation by federal investigators and Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which announced Friday that it has people going door-to-door to inspect the inside and outside of all units in the complex.

Inspectors examined O’Neill’s unit Thursday and found no leaks, he said.

Brian Swanson, PG&E spokesman who was at the condos Friday, said the utility has found no records of gas odor reported by the community.

O’Neill said he smelled gas around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he reported it.

“It smelled like the freeway," he said. "You know the smell you get from exhaust.”  

Six additional leaks were found Wednesday and were immediately repaired, Swanson said.

Several PG&E workers were seen throughout the complex checking for leaks and will continue to sweep the area until the whole complex has been surveyed, Swanson said.

The condominium exploded shortly after its owner, Lynn Tsui, left to go have lunch with her daughter, according to reports. The unit was occupied only by Tsui’s shih tzu dog, Tofu. who was found by firefighters hiding under a bed. Tofu was taken to a veterinary hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

The unit adjoining Tsui’s condo suffered only smoke damage.It is occupied by longtime renter, Michael Schlicht, who was not home when the explosion and fire occurred.

Firefighters kicked in the door to Schlicht’s unit and punched holes in the roof to ensure the unit’s safety, said Dave Hunt, who works for the property management company that handles Schlicht’s unit.

A boot print and damage around the doorknob were visible on the front door of the unit on the other side of Schlicht’s.

A PG&E guest service representative was in the area around the Northpoint complex Wednesday when he saw smoke and tracked it down, Swanson said. Firefighters were already on the scene when the PG&E employee arrived at about 12:50 p.m.

Other PG&E workers arrived and isolated three lines feeding in to Tsui’s unit, and stopped the flow of gas by about 2:30 p.m.

Workers had to jackhammer and use a backhoe to dig in to the surface above to reach and squeeze off the 2-inch plastic gas pipes. The process took about an hour and a half, Swanson said.

Shutting off gas flow to the entire complex was not an option, Swanson said, because it creates its own hazards.

Low gas pressure shuts off pilot lights, which then provides a natural path into homes and businesses for flowing gas, he said.

PG&E is under intense scrutiny following the Sept. 9, 2010, San Bruno explosion that is being blamed on faulty welding and poor record keeping. The San Bruno blaze claimed eight lives and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.

Residents are urged to report any indication of gas, no matter how minimal, Swanson said, to 800-743-5000.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.