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Six people remain hospitalized on Sunday night following Friday’s massive gas line explosion in Northwest Fresno. PG&E crews are getting ready to repair that damaged 12-inch gas transmission pipeline at the Fresno County Peace Officers Range, and said it is waiting for the California Public Utilities Commission to remove the damaged pipeline section.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said the County Public Works employee who was driving the tractor that allegedly struck the gas line is still in critical condition. Three inmates who were working at the range are in critical but stable condition, while two inmates are in stable condition.
Investigations into exactly what happened on Friday continue independently by the CPUC, the Sheriff’s Office, Fresno Fire, and PG&E.
Jeff Smith, the public information officer for PG&E said, "We’ve got multiple crews out here. There’s ongoing assessment taking place on the site."
Smith said the now-damaged gas pipeline had undergone a hands-on inspection in 2013, passing company standards and federal code. He said the pipe was buried 40 inches into the ground. He noted that just as recent as last Tuesday, PGE&E had conducted an aerial patrol over the site, which showed no construction activity- only the high speed rail construction about 500 feet away from the gun range.
"We are quite confident that if 811 was called in advanced of digging at the site, and just to be clear, it wasn’t just specifically just to that day, but we are confident that if 811 had been called, and the lines had been appropriately evaluated and marked, we would have been able to provide the necessary safety assessments," said Smith.
But Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims has yet to use the term "digging", saying what caused the explosion is still under investigations. Mims said a County road worker was driving a tractor to build up the berm that catches bullets at the gun range. The county said the worker was just driving in the area.
The Sheriff’s Office said it hopes to reopen the gun range this week, but it is contingent upon the needs of all of the investigating agencies involved in this case.
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