Fire in San Bruno

I've skipped great chunks of time, basically because things have been boring.  My left heel is still giving me problems.  I got sent to a podiatrist, who thinks it is tendonitis and sent me to physical therapy.  The physical therapist noticed what I noticed--there's still something wrong with the skin.  She's working on me, but I'm also set to see a dermatologist on Monday.  And so that goes.
Then there's the BIG NEWS.  First and foremost, Glenn and I and our home are fine.  Things could have gotten dicey if the wind had been blowing in a different direction and if we hadn't had such a cold, damp summer, but we are fine.  About 6:15 last night, Glenn was doing the dishes and I was about to step into the shower to get ready to go to Eastern Star.  Initiation, big night.  I heard a strange rumbling, then what sounded like a jet dragging its wheels over our roof, then a bang that shook everything with a sharp jolt, followed by a strange, steady sound.  I thought Glenn had loaded the dishwasher strangely--he thought it was me in the shower.  Then I heard him give a shout.  He said the power station across the street was on fire.  I quickly finished what I'd been doing rather liesurely in the bathroom.  We opened the front door, and this is what we saw:

Actually, what we saw was worse, because I didn't think to take pictures for about an hour.  So imagine the fire ball twice that high.  We quickly realized that it wasn't the power station at all (good thing--not that it hasn't had its share of fires in the 32 years we've lived here).  So what was it?  The speculation was on.  Our across the street neighbor came out and said she heard that the gas station at the top of San Bruno Avenue had exploded.  We all thought about that and decided that wasn't where the fireball was coming from.  Next theory--a plane went down.  That would explaine the noise we all heard--but a plane would burn itself out, and this was not going out.  Besides, the FAA had not gotten any reports of missing planes.  Last and right guess--a ruptured gas main.  Here are more pictures--as close as I ever want to be to something like that:

We could see houses burning pretty much from the start.  I'll refer you to the news and the internet for the grim details.  Our street became a parking lot with people coming and looking.  I had to shoo several people away from our driveway.  We were never evacuated, but if we had been, it would have been a madhouse.  There are only two ways in and out of our tract.  It took them a few hours to get the gas shut off and the main fireball fineally went out.  By then, most of the houses in the neighborhood were fully engaged.  Late into the night, it looked like "The watchfires of a hundred circling camps" of the Battle Hymn of the Republic fame, as houses were allowed to burn out.  It was just too hot to send the firemen in safely.  The first truck on the scene was from a fire station down the street a bit from the explosion.  It was so hot, that the windshield on the fire truck cracked.
When I went to bed--very, very late--I could still see smoke coming up from hot spots, but I felt we were safe.  This morning, it just looked like a war sceen.  I had to go out a couple of times, and I had to take really alternate routes to get where I was going.  I've lived here a long time and know my way around pretty well.  As of this writing, there are three members of our church, from a family of five, who have not been located and are presumed dead--three generations.  I won't be at church on Sunday--I'll be in the East Bay attending my 45th high school reunion.  Glenn said he will go.  He doesn't want to, but he will be there.  Glenn is such a fine man.  When we realized that it wasn't the power plant, but a neighborhood across Skyline Drive, Glenn said that was where our friends lived and was worried about them from the start.  We're all praying for a miracle--isn't denial the first phase?
I have a happy weekend coming up--two weddings wrapped around the reunion.    The first wedding and the reunion are in the East Bay, so I'm spending tomorrow night at the Claremont Hotel.  I was there for my high school grad night, been to a wedding reception there, and done brunch a few times, but I've never stayed there.  I was actually going to spend two nights there, but I have to be at the rehearsal for wedding number two in the early afternoon tomorrow, since I'm fiddling for the wedding.  I wasn't planning on taking the violin with me, but I'm not really sure I'll have time to come home and get it, so i guess it's going for a trip too.  I expect I shall be one tired old lady on Monday.
The phone rang pretty constantly with people from far and near checking up on us.  I finally posted on Facebook that we were not burned to a crisp, and still people have been checking on us.  That is comforting.  So if I haven't told you lately, and lest I miss the opportunity, I love you, dear readers.  Be well.
xxooxx