​​Th​is information is preliminary and subject to change.​

On December 11, 2025, about 9:36 a.m. local time, a natural gas-fueled explosion and fire destroyed a single-family residence at 867 East Lewelling Boulevard (the accident home) in Hayward, California, as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) were responding to a leak in their pipeline system at the accident site. [1] PG&E and the Alameda County Fire Department responded to the fire. Three residents of the accident home were seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital. Additionally, three PG&E employees responding to the leak were injured and taken to a hospital where they were treated and released. At the time of the explosion, the weather was clear with winds at 9 mph; the temperature was 46°F with no precipitation. Damage estimates were still being determined at the time of report publication. ​PG&E, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, provided natural gas service to the accident home and the neighboring homes. The PG&E distribution system included a 2-inch diameter steel gas main running along East Lewelling Boulevard and 0.75-inch diameter steel service lines running from the gas main to the accident home and neighboring houses. [2] The distribution system was operating about 49 pounds per square inch gauge at the time of the explosion. [3]

On December 11, about 7:25 a.m., PG&E was notified that Mayo Asphalt Milling had damaged the service line running to 868 East Lewelling Boulevard, the house on the opposite side of the road from the accident home, during roadwork on East Lewelling Boulevard. [4] PG&E responders arrived on the scene about 7:48 a.m.and found a leak in the service line to 868 East Lewelling Boulevard. The Alameda County Fire Department arrived on the scene about 7:51 a.m. but left soon after when a PG&E responder informed them that they did not need assistance.

About 8:18 a.m., a PG&E maintenance crew squeezed off the service line to 868 East Lewelling Boulevard where the service line had been hit by Mayo Asphalt Milling during roadwork on East Lewelling Boulevard. [5] Shortly after this, the PG&E crew detected gas at the ground level near the accident home. When interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a PG&E crew on scene reported that they had knocked on the doors of the accident home, and the two houses on either side of the accident home (857 and 877 East Lewelling Boulevard), and 868 East Lewelling Boulevard to make contact with the residents but no one responded.About 8:40 a.m., the crew began digging and about 9:29 a.m. squeezed off the gas main and stopped the flow of gas in the gas main and service lines in front of the accident home. About 9:37 a.m. the accident home exploded. The Alameda County Fire Department returned to the scene after the explosion.

While on scene, NTSB investigators examined the accident site, secured evidence for examination at the NTSB’s Materials Laboratory in Washington, DC, reviewed documentation and relevant communication logs, and conducted interviews.

The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on the physical evidence secured at the accident site, safe excavation practices, and PG&E’s leak response and leak investigation procedures. 

Parties to the investigation include:

• ​the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 
• the California Public Utilities Commission, 
• the California Underground Safety Board, 
• the Alameda County Fire Department, and 
• PG&E [6].​