2 children injured after car crashes into house and gas main: Oakland fire
OAKLAND, Calif. - A car crashed into an Oakland hills home and struck its residential gas meter, sparking a fire. Oakland Fire said the driver "sheared gas main."
The incident occurred right before 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Officials said the driver lost control on Campus Drive coming down a hill when he hit the house on Sereno Circle. Three ambulances were requested by Oakland Fire, and officials said at least two patients were children. Officials said their injuries appeared to be minor.
Five people total were in the car: Two adults and three children. The remaining child and adults were treated at the scene.
Neighbor Andrew Karp was in his driveway working on his bike when the car blew past him.
"I heard a loud pop and then a car flew over the driveway into the house across the street," said Karp.
Doorbell video shows the car traveling at a high rate of speed down Campus Drive, across Redwood Road, and then up Sereno Circle. The driver jumps a curb and hits some landscaping before plowing into a garage.
All the occupants were able to escape the vehicle. Karp called 911 and said other neighbors ran over with fire extinguishers to try and help.
"It’s terrifying when you see something like that happen. You don’t believe it to be true. It’s like in a movie," he said.
The next-door house also caught on fire. It's currently unknown if anyone was in the second home. No one was inside the house originally hit.
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PG&E shut off the gas in the area. Officials said the fire is under control and took around 30 firefighters to contain it.
Firefighters called this a "gas-fed" fire. They put down hose lines but could not extinguish the flames.
"Once we got on scene and started putting the fire out we realized that the vehicle was on top of a gas main and had completely sheared the gas main. So it was a gas-fed fire. So it was best for us to let the fire keep burning," said Battalion Chief James Bowron with the Oakland Fire Department.
It’s unclear why the driver lost control. Officials say they are investigating if there was a mechanical issue.