Explosion Rips Through S.F. Apartment Building

A fiery explosion possibly caused by leaking gas ripped through a three-story apartment building in the city’s Tenderloin district shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, scattering flaming debris and shattering glass that injured at least six people.

Emergency workers began searching through the smoldering rubble as soon as the blaze was put out, but no bodies had been found an hour after the destructive blast.

“They’re literally peeling floor by floor,” Mayor Frank Jordan said. “We’re mainly going through the debris, seeing if we can find somebody.”

At least five people suffered minor injuries and one person was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with more serious injuries, Jordan said.

The explosion may have been caused by natural gas, but Fire Chief Joe Medina said investigators were looking into other possibilities as well. Medina said he will investigate whether there were reports of gas leaks in the area.

“You can’t imagine what happened here. All the glass broke,” said Mehdi Hussein, a salesman at a liquor store across the street from the building.

More than 90 firefighters were on the scene.