down. >> this is a live look from sky 7. flames died down about 90 minutes ago. pg&e managed to turn the gas off. >> where this is happening. jordan park neighborhood. the gas explosion happened right in front of the hong kong lounge 2 restaurant. on the edge of the city's inner richmond. good evening. >> thank you for staying with us. firefighters just wrapped up a latest on the news conference minutes ago. saying lt portion near the scene will remain closed over night. >> this is a very active incident. it is under control now. five buildings affected by the explosion and fire directed. 1:15 this afternoon and took two hours and 15 minutes to get the gas finally turned off. the good thing, no one was hurt. >> remarkable and we're happy to

hear this. we have live team coverage. >> let's start with vic lee. vic? >> well, as you can see there's plenty of activity here. no flames. pg&e shut the gas off at about 3:30 this afternoon. those flames gushing up to 30, 40 feet into the air. they suddenly disappeared. but as i said there's lots of activity here. you have pg&e crews, city crews, trying to repair the damage on the street. and firefighters mopping up. as you said the just moments ago briefing by the police chief and mayor breed. ended. looking at the fire at the flames. that erupted at 1:18 this afternoon. the mayor was here at the briefing. she thanked firefighters for and first responders for coming so quickly. she said there are no numbers yet on the evacuees.

no numbers on the businesses impacted. we know that the hong kong lounge the restaurant was almost destroyed. the fire started at 1:18. and went to a two to three alarm. private contractors were working on the fiberoptics on the street. and they accidently ruptured the gas line. five buildings were involved. firefighters now going through the buildings to see just what kind of damage there was. let's hear a little of what the fire chief said at this briefing. that just ended. >> the good news is no one was injured. or hurt. thanks to the quick response that happened with the san francisco fire department. and the police department. i'm grateful for their service. and at this time we don't have information as to the number of individuals that are going to be

impacted. we have a number of departments who are here to work with not only the merchants but the residents impacted. >> that was mayor breed. the fire chief spoke at the news conference. as did police chief scott. another person who spoke at the briefing that just ended blare jones. a spokesperson for pg&e. and the big question here among us was why did it take them so long to shut off the gas? his answer was that this was a complex situation. they have to come up with a plan that took some time. and then there are gas, water and electric lines under ground that so they have to work very carefully not to disrupt or cut those lines. the other thing was that state

law mandates that pg&e hand dig through asphalt. and that's exactly what he says their crews did. in order to pinch the gas lines and shut off the lines. they had to do it by hand. that takes time. and they had to of course do all of this as safely as possible. and the pg&e spokesman said that often means doing it slowly. those are the reasons that the pg&e spokesman gave to our question why did it take so long. it's an important question. this is earthquake country. so that's the very latest here from gearing and parker street. lots of activity there on the street. back to you in the studio. by the way there will be no more briefings. but the situation is still active here. at the fire scene. >> indeed.

if there were to be an earthquake and predicted to be. there could be more ruptures. so what is the plan? >> buildings within a one block radius were evacuated during this time. >> we continue the live team coverage. >> go ahead. >> obviously she can't hear us. let's press on. we have more coverage. today's explosion and fire triggered evacuations and worried the love d ones of those who live, work and s area. >> we heard the chief the police chief si that it was going to be

closed down over night. because that's where the work is going on. you see a lot of equipment there. some of the equipment is already left the scene. we see people over here waiting for the police to escort them to the their homes. to get pets and or things out of their house. let's take you back and show you pictures of what it looked like when we arrived on the scene. you can see the flames up in the air. you can hear the noise. like a jet engine. when that broke out people had to evacuate. pretty quickly. and we talk to a couple of those people. one of them had come down to visit his daughter. who lived in the area. drove down and he was turning the corner onto parker, he saw the whole thing unfold. >> big blast of gas. flew out of where they were working. the guy was digging. and within five to ten seconds, it all caught fire. and a big blast of flames kept

coming out. >> it was really scary. i kornt see the flames so i didn't know what it was. it was scary. >> you met emmy earlier. she managed to get out of her home and call her father. she only had what she should carry and her dog. he brought her blanket. they are both waiting for an escort to get into their building. and see what happened to it. and what they can salvage. we have other people waiting here. in hopes police would take them down to the apartment. and see what's going on. some are people who have lifed here for a while. some are students. we're not far from usf. a one block area around the fire zone was evacuated. that area is still evacuated. and people are not being let anywhere down near where the fire broke out.

the buildings adjacent you can't get to those either. they will escort you briefly. five minutes. to get some of your stuff. we're seeing that happen now. police are talking with a group of young ladies. there they go. down to a check out their apartment. >> reporting live. thank you. when the gas explosion and fire broke out a little after 1:00 today. witnesses grabbed phones and documented the chaos minute by minute. >> we have comed through facebook, instagram and twitter. to find the compelling videos. here they are.

>> remarkable cell phone i byie terrifying. it was intense. >> out of the scene we established contact with you once again. tell us what is the latest? >> i'm actually here at cook

boulevard. this time a day this would normally be a busy thoroughfare. during rush hour. the only busy thing we're seeing is the clean up down the street there. you can see fire crews. pg&e. various construction it looks like. the drew crews that are specifically involved in managing traffic. they are down there now cleaning up. stories into the area. you can tell it's coming from the gas leak. itself. as the flames were confined to a certain area and shooting into the air. we could tell the buildings adjacent were on fire. we were able to talk with some folks who evacuated from the buildings specifically the apartments just above the chinese restaurant. >> i didn't really hear anything except what i thought was the spraying of water.

i could hear water spraying. i had no idea anything had happened. until the firemen came and banged on our door. get out, get out. you have to evacuate. >> are you worried at your apartment? >> no. it's only a piece of wood. preserving your life is important. thank god i'm safe. >> the point i was last able to speak with the lady and another young woman with her. a foreign exchange student. from iran. she's a doctor student at nearby usf. they didn't know if their apartments had survived and the information that these folks are getting is kind of sketchy. back live. they are taking down the police tape. where i am standing. i believe they are going to move us down the street perhaps closer to the scene. so we can get a closer look. in terms of information some of

the folks are hanging out here. trying to figure out when they can go back. and what they have to return to. >> okay. thanks very much. >> the clean up of the fire and the investigation means one of the businessest streets in san francisco is closed. >> we continue the live team coverage. the impact on the commute. >> look what's happening here. that's the number 38 bus. we have been talking about this for several hours now. this is good news. what this bus is doing remember they the 38 bus was not running. that's one of the busiest buses in san francisco. what that bus is going to do in about 16 seconds is going to make a right here. and then make a left. and then hit and go around

basically. there it goes. that's a nice site. really good sign. but of course it will not pass -- anybody if you're thinking of going from where i am now. standing to parker. you're not going to get passed this point. it's closed. as you can see. we have no idea how long this is going to last. but let's see what the fire chief has to stay about that. >> we are asking to police avoid the area. if you don't have to be in the area. it will be closed over night. and so the crews can do work. from to parker, spruce to stannen. a one black area will be closed off. >> a one block area will be closed off. >> the police chief. not the fire chief. you see the cones here.

that's to alert people to slow down. you'll make a right hand turn. onto stannen. all the businesses you see are closed for the time being. i'm in the sure how long they will remain closed because this street has now reopened. so they might reopen as well. can you pan -- just to show you ponchos and on the right. really popular restaurant. they have the police line. i have a feeling they will be closed over night as well. again a very fluid situation. this area closed if you can avoid the area. i suggest that you do. be safe. >> thank you so much. it's not just gearing. i'm getting a text from my friend on parker.

who is unable to go home tonight. over night. >> we're continuing to monitor efforts of the gas explosion. >> residents not allowed in

paul rose joins us now on the phone. to update everyone. >> paul, we all know the 38 is such an important bus corridor. for the city. east west route. tell us what the impact is right now and what we can expect as the night wares on with people going home. >> caller: since the fire is taking place we have been going around the area. so our 38 operators are taking the buses around the block. about four or five blocks and

going around the area. and continuing down. we are asking people to have patience. and as soon as the area is clear we'll go back to the normal route. >> okay. when do you anticipate that might happen? over night or tomorrow? >> the last area we might not see open up for hours. we're expecting this will go on for sometime. when it does we'll open it up as soon as possible. >> with the detour. how delayed do you expect the service to be? >> it depends on where passenger might board. at this point we're looking maybe five minutes five to ten minutes out of the way. in the back onto normal way. >> not a huge impact. thank you so much for joining us. evacuation orders remain in effect for a one block radius.

>> kate is live from there. >> we're about a block from where this explosion happened earlier. right at the end of this street. and around the corner a number of businesses right there. take a look. jeff pace works two doors down from the explosion and took cell phone video after the explosion and ran outside. he was in complete shock looking at this fire ball. just feet from him. he ran back inside and hold everyone to get out. and he came outside a number of coworkers and other people from all the businesses and homes in the area were trying to get out and away from the fire ball. as soon as possible. of course we know there's the chai nose restaurant on the corner. i have spoken to people who know the owners. and have seen them out here. they don't want to speak. but look very concerned. i'm told there's a rental unit above the restaurant. it looks like it's completely burnt out from the fire that

happened after that explosion. we're still waiting for more information on that. we're told by a number of people who live and work on the block that for the past several days there has been construction in to the road. you can look out here live. a big sign here that says road work ahead. a man said he got back home from a trip last night and couldn't make a right. to get home. because of the construction. that has been ongoing. for the past couple days. and people were aware of the workers who were there right after the explosion. and went running around the corner of course trying to keep themselves safe as well. of course there's talk and concern about why it happened and when it happened. and when people can get home and to work. to collect belongings and be done with the day. it's been very stressful for everyone out here. >> thanks. it is chilly and you heard the

official talking about how hard they're working it try to get the gas back on. for folks in the area. they want to come home of course. and to a warm house. it is cold tonight. >> there's the issue of a lot of running water and it might freeze over. let's check in. >> it was chilly afternoon. no doubt about it. tempbs a few degrees below average and this morning it was bitterly cold. live doppler 7 showing you no rain on the radar. that is going to be changing as we head towards friday even saturday. and sunday. so let's talk about the rain chances. the dry conditions will last tomorrow. ater that, we start to see a change. 95% chance of rain on friday. 70% saturday. and back up to 95% on sunday. two storms friday and sunday. take advantage of the dry skies we have now. a beautiful view with clouds.

here's another view. towards the beach there. san francisco, oakland and mountain view low to mid-50s. and here's the view. the sun is getting ready to set. 53 degrees. one other live picture. you are going to face another chilly night ahead. with the cloud cover, temperatures are not going to fall as much as they did this morning. dry and cool tomorrow. rainy pattern friday. let's check out the lows this morning. 27 degrees in fair field. 29 napa. down to 34 in san jose. it was frosty. and it was cold. tomorrow morning don't get me wrong it's cold. but not as cold as it has been. low 30s around napa. 37 fremont. 36 degrees in san jose. bundle up tomorrow afternoon another cool one on tap. mix of sun and clouds.

temperatures in the 50s. across the bay area. a light level one system in friday. expect a light to moderate rain. most areas a quarter to three quarters of an inch and lig wind. friday morning the rain approaches. 7:00 a.m. we're seeing brief downpours in the north bay. the rest looking at rain 10:30 a.m. going to about 2:30 p.m. it becomes more scattered in nature. for later on at night. and that is the first system that will keep a shower chance in for saturday as well. and sunday that next storm comes in. rainfall potential with the friday system, anywhere from a quarter to three quarters of an inch. down load the app and track live doper 7 any time you want. sierra nor powder. as a matter of fact up to three feet of snow expected in some locations. get ready for the much needed rain and snow in the sierra. 7-day forecast. a chilly morning tomorrow. rain spreads with the light level one system on friday.

saturday some scattered shoirs and sunday a mix of rain and snow. mount hamilton seeing a mix of snow sp rain. level 1 monday tuesday and wednesday. >> thank you. >> coming up another check on the situation after the gas line explosion in san francisco. >> the area expected to be shut >> the area expected to be shut downcalifornia phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call during business hours.

and accessoriesphones for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program visit right now or call during business hours. committed to building a better bay area. the supply of affordable housing continues to fall far short of demand. >> kick start construction of 1,100 units. you'll hear from a security guard whose live changed dramatically. >> reporter: security guard no longer has to share a kitchen or single bathroom with other families in a small apartment. it was tight quarters for her

and her three sons. she pays $1,400 a month for a three bedroom apartment. half the typical market rate. >> i want to live like this with my kids. and have good neighbors. and the people work here. it's really nice we can they're really nice. >> she considers herself lucky. she was competing against 1,700 applicants for one of the eleven units. san jose this week is making $100 million in funding available to eleven developers who are planning 1,100 affordable housing units. one planned for this seven acre site next to a light rail station. to be built by core companies. >> really affordable housing it's like aedng it's so much to come together. >> san jose $100 million will help developers arrange other

financing. city fund come from past redevelopment loans and fees from developers. into a fund. >> we will continue to cobble together sources as best we can. to meet the demand. >> san jose is adding a dedicated staff member to streamline and expedite the review and approval process for the affordable housing developments. >> all right. one more check opt situation in remember the way we used to do things? hey man... like connect with friends? dig it! or get in shape? or sell a house and pay a real estate agent a big commission. [crash] at redfin, we charge you a 1% listing fee. and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site

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final check on the situation after a gas explosion many san francisco. the portion near the scene will remain closed over night. the gas is now off. >> five buildings were affected by the explosion and fire. which started around 1:00 this afternoon. nobody hurt. because of the coverage of the fire and explosion this afternoon, general hospital didn't air at its usual time. don't worry it will run over night at 2:37 a.m. >> set your dvr.

word news is next. we appreciate your time. tonight, as we come on the air in the west, the breaking news. the major explosion. the fire burning for hours. flames shooting three stories into the air. evacuations and more than 100 firefighters responding to the scene in san francisco. the shocking new headline tonight. the governor under fire after wearing blackface, the lieutenant governor who would replace him facing a sexual assault allegation. and now, the third in line, the state attorney general, and what he now admits to doing himself. also tonight, we're tracking a deadly storm moving across the country. ice-covered roads and highways leading to deadly accidents. 27 states. and tonight, the track, as this now moves east. the growing mystery. the pilot who crashed into an american neighborhood, killing a family inside their home. authorities say his i.d. was fake and that he was never a marine as he claimed.