PG&E tries to determine cause of gas explosion in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- PG&E is trying to figure out what caused a gas explosion in San Francisco's Bernal Heights. No one was hurt in the blast, but the explosion ripped through a Bernal Heights apartment building and caused major damage.

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It happened around 10am on the 3900 block of Mission Street.

Carmen Godoy lives in the building. She wasn't home at the time of the explosion, but when she returned to the neighborhood she feared the worst. "My son was inside and I say, 'My son, maybe he's dead. I don't know,'" said Godoy.

Her son is deaf and so he didn't hear the blast, but he felt the building shake.

The explosion blew out the windows and the garage door.

The leak is believed to have come from under the street.

It took PG&E crews three hours to cap off the gas lines from both ends.

"This was a tedious task that included turning off two valves at an off site location as well as digging up these holes behind me," said Andrea Mennitti, a spokesperson for PG&E.

Nearly 500 people have been without service for much of the day and at least a hundred are expected to be without gas until Tuesday as PG&E investigates the pipe.

The company has hired a third party to help them figure out what caused the leak.

In the meantime, the Godoy family is without a home, but tonight they're thankful to God that everyone's safe.

They believe a wooden box with a picture of Jesus Christ remained hanging inside their apartment for a reason.

"It's still there. The windows exploded, but I think that's a miracle," said Elizabeth Godoy.