A huge blaze, which has been described as the largest in the area since the Berkeley/Oakland Hills fire in 1991, burned inside the historic 39-unit Sequoias apartment building at Haste and Telegraph in Berkeley for seventeen hours on Friday night and most of the day Saturday. An estimated seventy residents were displaced and the building was gutted, making a subsequent investigation difficult, as investigators won't be allowed to enter the building. more ›

AlertSF sent word that a gas main break shut down occurred near Union Square. "At 2:15 today it was reported that a 10" gas main was hit by a construction crew at Mason and Post Streets. All vehicular and pedestrian traffic is being re-routed. PLEASE AVOID THE AREA." more ›

A gas leak at Howard and Beale streets has prompted a street closure in the area. Which is to say, avoid the area of Beale between Mission and Howard for now. Muni is also being rerouted. Update: PG&E reports, "The flow of gas was capped at 1 pm. The scene is safe. Beale Street to Howard is currently closed to traffic." more ›

We're getting reports that an earthquake just shook a huge swath of the East Coast, from as far north as Boston south to North Carolina. Ooop - our cohorts at Gothamist HQ report it was a 5.8, centered in Virginia! Craziness... and clearly everyone over there, unaccustomed to such things, is freaking out. more ›

A massive six-alarm fire in Fairfield at the Macro Plastics Plant on 2250 Huntington Drive has resulted in a shelter-in-place. The blaze started a little before 2 pm this afternoon. Loads of plastic bins used for agricultural purposes are on fire, with no sign of it letting up. The flames are now spreading past the plastic plant. A huge plume of black smoke hovers above the area. more ›

Oh dear. San Francisco firefighters responded to a fire this afternoon in the Inner Sunset. "The blaze was reported at 12:36 p.m. in the 1600 block of 10th Avenue," notes SF Appeal. "Firefighters arrived in less than three minutes." No word yet on any injuries. more ›

If you recall, at last year's Bay to Breakers, there had been reports of a runner collapsing from a heart attack at the finish line, and many at the scene said he had died. SF Examiner followed up on the story last week, and found that the runner, Ken Byk, had survived after losing his pulse for twenty minutes. He was diagnosed with coronary artery disease and underwent quadruple-bypass surgery a few days after the race. more ›

We're hearing reports of a manhole cover explosion happening in the city's Union Square area. KCBS tweets: "Black smoke reported at Post & Grant in SF, reports of a manhole cover explosion." more ›

Speaking of widespread earthquake devastation, Japan's 8.9 earthquake is a strong reminder that, yes, you really do need an earthquake kit. Seriously. After the Loma Prieta earthquake, an estimated 12,000 Bay Area residents found themselves "displaced permanently or temporarily." Homes that remained intact experienced no water, electricity and phone service for days. The Chronicle has a comprehensive list of things you need during a quake - i.e., water, food, first-aid kit, tools, supplies, sanitation, clothes, bedding, and documents - which you should look over immediately. more ›

A Palo Alto 11 dispatch center got 566 phantom emergency calls in five hours, reports KTVU. "The siege of calls to the Palo Alto emergency communications center started Jan 13 at 8:30 p.m. when a dispatcher picked up the line to find no one on the other end. Twenty-seconds later, another phantom call came in." The potentially fatal snafu was =, most likely, due to "technology run amok rather than a prankster." [KTVU] more ›

Evacuations and a shelter-in-place are underway in the Castro today due to a "big gas main break" at 18th and Hartford. SFPD confirmed this to SFist, saying that the fire department is helping with traffic. No fire has been reported. more ›

Two manhole covers exploded this morning in the city's Financial District. The early morning explosions, according to PG&E, were due to burning secondary mains. Scary, right? Right. Uncommon, yes? Nope. It turns out that, care of tenacious research from SFist commenter FraggleRock, a pattern emerges. more ›

According to CBS 5, "a huge explosion happened in the San Bruno area and huge flames can be seen...the flames are near Crestmore and San Ramon Avenues." The fire has torched multiple homes; an entire neighborhood is on fire. A least halk a dozen homes are ablaze. more ›

A U.S. Coast Guard search is underway after a woman sent out a distress call on Monday night just off the coast of Tiburon. "Minutes before 10 p.m., Coast Guard Chief Donald Newton said personnel heard the potentially distressed female over a marine radio channel," reports BCN (via SF Appeal) "There was a female saying 'Listen to me, listen to me,' followed by a pause, then 'hello,' another pause, and '10-4, I have mayday.'" Two Coast Guard vessels are still out in the waters looking for the unidentified female. more ›

According to @Emergency_In_SF: "a vault fire has been reported at Pier 23. SFFD on scene. PG&E en route. Exact number without power is unknown." We'll update as soon as we know more. more ›

A little before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to USGS, an earthquake of a 6.4/6.5 magnitude "struck 15 miles SW of Eureka at 4:28 p.m." This, folks, is an above average one, coming on the heels of two small quakes that slightly rattled the Bay Area on Thursday and Friday. more ›

Santa Clara County declared a local emergency yesterday, setting aside $500k for free clinics, which will administer the swine flu vaccine to thousands of uninsured residents when the vaccine becomes available in mid-October. more ›

The big bomb squad truck is there at the Transbay Terminal right now. AlertSF says you'll want to avoid the area for at least the next 90 minutes. more ›

Manufacturer Oyagokoro, based in Japan, just launched a new line of earthquake packs, ones "designed to keep dogs and cats safe during such events," reports The Examiner. The kits come in three sizes, and features "a padded jacket and rain hat, special boots to protect paws, and aromatherapy oils to to calm stressed-out pets." (Aw!) Each kit also comes with a waterproof capsule holding details of the animal's address and owner information. The packs can even double as a carrying case for smaller friends. The earthquake packs will be distributed in the U.S. by Rinkya, Inc. (Also, you can see what your cat might look like wearing one here. Just adorable.) more ›

Former SFister Dianne de Guzman sent word about a block shutdown this morning. "Firefighter activity at Mission near Ocean. The block is shut down. About 3-4 trucks. No visible flames. Firefighters on roof with axes. Couldn't see which business they were on." more ›

You might want to reconfigure your route home, readers. According to ActionNewsSF, who have been updating all afternoon on today's underground Tenderloin fire, "Northbound Van Ness [is] closed, O'Farrell, Polk and Larkin also closed. Traffic on Hyde is a mess." And don't even think of taking the 47 or 49 buses right now. We'll update around the 5 o'clock hour with more traffic details, which (hopefully) might ease as the day wears on. Also, according to abc7newsBayArea, "The shelter in place around O'Farrell and Polk has been lifted." Update: Word is "[a]s of 3:00 p.m., the 47 and 49 routes have resumed normal service. The 19 and the 38 are still being re-routed." Update II, "Traffic moving again on Van Ness, Larkin, and Hyde. O'Farrel & Polk still closed. Traffic lights out at various intersections." more ›

Breaking news, folks. According to Alert SF, "Avoid the area of Polk / O'Farrell for next hour due to fire in underground vault. Heavy smoke. Traffic in area is impacted." Also, as always, you could very well get shot and killed at Polk and O'Farrell, or groped by bachelor party revelers from the nearby O'Farrell Theater, so do be careful more ›

The first two cases of swine flu were just discovered last night. Two Marin residents, an unidentified 60-year-old woman and her 20-month-old granddaughter, just tested positive for swine flu. Both of them, it seems, had just returned from a trip to Mexico. According to SFGate, "The woman and child were described as having had a 'moderate' flu illness after their return from Mexico; the child has already recovered and her grandmother is now experiencing only mild symptoms, according to the Marin County officials. Other family members were tested and were receiving medication as a precaution." To find out more information on swine flu hitting the Bay Area, visit www.marinflu.org. (Swine flu fun fact: In Israel, the government officially renamed it "Mexico flu" because pigs aren't kosher.) more ›

"Much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes," reports AP, the U.S. government officially declared a public health emergency today due to the swine flu. So far, conformed outbreaks are as follows: four (4) people affected in Canada, sickened at least (20) in the U.S. (or 11, depending on which report you want to believe), and "killed dozens" in Mexico. more ›

Thousands of Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz county residents are currently without phone service this morning. They can't even call 911 in case of an emergency. Why? Because of an old, AT&T-owned fiber optic line (leased out to Verizon) that went bust. "Verizon is completely down; other carriers are intermittent at best," said Zachary DeVine, a Santa Clara County spokesman. If residents of Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin and Santa Cruz County cannot make a call to 911, officials "are urging people to go to their nearest fire or police department or local hospital or flag down an emergency vehicle." more ›

A 6.3 earthquake killed more than 150 people in central Italy, making it the deadliest quake to hit the country in nearly three decades. According to reports, 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed and about 100,000 people have been left homeless in the medieval city of L'Aquila. more ›

Reports are coming in that there was a mild earthquake felt in San Francisco. We felt it too, but it could have been our the washing machine in the spin cycle. "I believe I just felt a 3-4 point earthquake just now," reports one SFist comments. more ›

In addition to the jarring unemployment rate announced today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will "declare a state of emergency after three years of below-average rain and snowfall in California," according to reports. Although the recent rain has been refreshing, it has not helped moisten, if you will, more parched parts of the state. CBS 5 reports that "[t]he drought has forced farmers to fallow their fields, put thousands of agricultural workers out of work and prompted conservation measures in cities throughout the state." Arnold's order of emergency will "direct state agencies to provide assistance for affected communities and businesses." Chin up, California. more ›

A Hazmat team has closed San Jose Valley Medical Center's emergency room after an unknown chemical exposure. At least 37 employees, 47 patients were given Silkwood scrubdowns. The toxic mess, it seems, came from a nearby house. According to the Mercury News, "they don't know what kind of toxic substance was released around 8:05 a.m. inside a house on the 3000 block of Yucca Avenue. A barrage of hazardous materials crews are on scene trying to sort out the mess, police and fire dispatchers said." Also, the Merc is reporting that an 18-year-old man died this morning, possibly due to the spill. We'll update as soon as we know more. more ›

LAist Editor Zach Behrens was neither injured nor trapped under a pile of rubble during today's 7.8 earthquake simulation that hit Los Angeles, one of the largest earthquake drills to take place. more ›