Two victims were rescued, but the body of a third remains in the debris. We saw heavy equipment operators working gingerly to move some of the twisted steel beams.
PG&E's contractor had the five-story boiler structure rigged to be pulled down when it suddenly toppled over on its own.
A San Francisco Fire Department spokesman described how the structure basically "pancaked and twisted as it fell down."
The steel beams housed a boiler for generating power and three people were trapped under the debris.
"The first person pulled out had very serious life-threatening injuries and was transported to San Francisco General Hospital," says Captain Mindy Talmadge, San Francisco Fire Department.
A second victim was crushed as the boiler collapsed and buried him. The process of extracting the body will be a difficult one because the steel beams are not stable.
"We were able to cut a third individual out and that person's legs were crushed and had serious head lacerations, but was alive."
PG&E says the Hunters Point power plant was shut down nearly two years ago. The demolition is being done by a contractor named LVI Services.
The only safety violation Cal/OSHA could find for LVI was a citation in 2003 for improper disposal of hazardous material. LVI was fined $5,000. PG&E says the accident is under investigation.
A PG&E spokesman says its thoughts are with the workers and relatives of the accident victims.
San Francisco Fire Department has a special unit that specializes in extracting trapped people. They are being credited with helping the two surviving victims so they could be taken away for immediate care.
