PG&E pipe that exploded in Cupertino was made of material connected with numerous other fires

[ensho]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_18814078?source=rss


The explosion and fire that ripped through a Cupertino home this week was caused by a crack in a PG&E gas line made of a material whose regular failures have been the subject of at least two federal safety advisories, numerous lawsuits and accidents across the nation dating back at least a decade.

Not only had PG&E been warned of the dangers of the degrading plastic by federal regulators since 2002, several of the utility's own employees have been sounding the alarm for years.

-snip-

PG&E officials said Friday they will immediately begin reviewing their gas lines made of the infamous Aldyl-A piping built before 1973.

-long snip about people warning for years-

Linda Starnes, the on-site manager of the complex, said residents will be comforted to know all the lines will be replaced. She said she had not received calls from residents reporting gas smells. But by Friday afternoon, she said, "my phone's been ringing for two days. I'm just trying to calm them down."
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and

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/rss/ci_18810913?source=rss


PG&E finds 7 gas leaks near Cupertino explosion that burned home


A day after federal investigators chastised PG&E for a "litany of errors" in last year's San Bruno blast, a loud explosion blew away a Cupertino home's garage door and several underground gas pipes in the area were found leaking, authorities said Thursday.

Pacific Gas & Electric crews found seven leaks in the 2-inch pipes that distribute gas to homes in the area near the explosion. But investigators are still unsure exactly what caused Wednesday's blast.

-snip-

"Very little was done by either PG&E or the public utilities commission to fix the problems identified by the NTSB in 2008," said Mindy Spatt, a spokesman for the anti-PG&E group TURN. "What we see is a pattern, again of again, of putting profits before safety, and it remains to be seen how much danger that's put customers in."
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everyone in the US should look into the conditions of the pipes, carrying whatever, in their area. a stitch in time saves .......

[ensho]

1. ignoring this won't make it go away

the next explosion is a blink away

and not just in Calif.