A shocking video has been circulating of a dirt bike crash that erupted into a large fireball last month in the Monterey Bay city of Salinas. The teen rider, who suffered minor burns and a broken ankle, is shown stumbling away from the crash — with flames clinging to him.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the teen, who was identified by NBC News as being 16 years old, was filmed allegedly running a red light in Salinas on October 30. The teen then crashed the bike into the side of a car, causing the bike to burst into flames. Immediately following the crash, the teen attempted to get up as his 15-year-old friend, who was on a second dirt bike, rushed over to help. Per NBC News, the dirt bike, which is considered full-size, was not street legal.

Sergeant Zach Dunagan of the Salinas Police Department told NBC Bay Area that the teen was not speeding and suffered minor burns and a broken ankle. He said the fire was likely ignited when a spark hit some leaked gas or oil.

While NBC Bay Area is reporting the driver of the car was unhurt, the driver told NBC News in the below video segment that the top of her head caught on fire during the incident.

Dunagan told NBC Bay Area both teens were cited for driving recklessly and without a license. He said he hopes the video serves as a cautionary tale for other teens and their families.

NBC Bay Area notes the case is being sent to the district attorney’s office for any potential charges.

Image: wattanaphob/Getty Images

The home of Diane Goodstein, a South Carolina judge who’s been receiving death threats after facing off with Trump in September, burned to the ground in a suspected explosion Saturday. Her husband, former State Representaive and Senator Arnold Goodstein, reportedly leapt from the building to escape.

As South Carolina’s FITSNews reports, the beachfront home of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein went up in flames Saturday around 11:30 am, burning to the ground and sending three of her family members to the hospital. Per FITSNews, Goodstein was walking on the beach at the time of the incident.

Goodstein’s husband, Arnold Goodstein, who previously served as both a Democratic South Carolina State Representative and State Senator per Wikipedia, escaped the fire by jumping from a window or balcony of the residence after helping other family members evacuate. As South Carolina’s WS10 reports, the family was rescued via kayak, according to St. Paul’s Fire District.

Arnold Goodstein reportedly broke several bones in his hips, legs, and feet and had to be airlifted to the hospital, per FITSNews. The couple’s son, Arnold Goodstein II, and another family member were also reportedly hospitalized, as the Daily Mail reports.

South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge told FITSNews the fire was from an explosion, but law enforcement has not yet said whether arson is suspected.

“Chief Keel said he will stay in touch and let us know if there is any evidence of arson,” Kittredge told FITSNews. “At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson. Until that determination is made, Chief Keel has alerted local law enforcement to provide extra patrols and security.”

Per South Carolina’s Gazette, Goodstein temporarily blocked the Department of Justice from accessing the voter data of South Carolina residents in September, which was later reversed by the Supreme Court, per FITSNews. A colleague told FITSNews that Goodstein had been receiving death threats in the weeks prior to the fire.

As Newsweek reports, Representative Daniel Goldman of New York wrote on X that Republicans have been “doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein.”

Image: St. Paul’s Fire District/Facebook

Related: Suspect Arrested Following Manhunt In Minnesota, Lawmakers Shot

One person has been confirmed dead after Tuesday’s NorCal fireworks warehouse disaster, and now we have the identities of a few of those still missing, and it turns out the name of the fireworks company was Devastating Pyrotechnics.

The fireworks-related news is particularly disturbing this July 4 holiday weekend after Tuesday’s massive explosion at a fireworks warehouse in the Yolo County town of Esparto, 35 miles northwest of Sacramento. As of Thursday morning, the seven people reported missing after the blast are still missing. And you can get a sense of how terribly destructive this fire was in the live KCRA footage below, from the moment when a bad situation became a much, much worse situation.

And we are only beginning to get a sense of the tragic toll, as authorities confirmed one death on Wednesday. “At least one person was killed by the massive blast, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the situation,” the Chronicle reports, “though it was not clear if that person was among the seven [initially] reported missing.”

According to the latest reports, first responders are still unable to enter the site of the warehouse, as the scene is too dangerous. But KTVU has confirmed that the site is owned by a fireworks company that is ironically named Devastating Pyrotechnics.

Devasting Pyrotechnics is a legal and licensed business, with an active permit to both import and export fireworks. A screenshot of their website shows that they’ve clearly lawyered up at this point. The website simply contains a statement that “Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation."

But there may be recriminations to come for that company, or others. The Chronicle adds that the facility was also used by a firm called Blackstar Fireworks Inc. And while the site is licensed and permitted, the Chronicle says that the warehouse that exploded “was not part of [an] approved storage area.”

As far as the seven people missing, KTVU reports that three of them have been identified by friends or family members: brothers Jesus Ramos (18 years old) Johnny Ramos (22), and Joel Melendez (28). That appears to be the pregnant girlfriend of Jesus Ramos, Syanna Ruiz, demanding answers from local fire department officials in the video above.

Ruiz added that Tuesday had actually been Jesus Ramos’s first day on the job at the fireworks warehouse. "I'm only two months pregnant, but he was so excited," she told KTVU. "That was the main reason why he wanted to start working, was just for our family."

It seems a small concern in this potentially very tragic situation that several communities had to cancel their Independence Day fireworks displays, having lost the very explosives that were supposed to be lit off Friday night. A separate KTVU reprint notes that the displays have been canceled in the Devasting Pyrotechnics client cities of San Jose, Cloverdale, Chico, Lodi, Saint Helena, and the El Dorado County Fair.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Related: Fireworks Shows Getting Canceled in San Jose and Elsewhere After Yolo County Supplier Explosion, Due to Lost Supplies [SFist]

Image courtesy PG&E

An underground vault fire erupted from a manhole on the 2100 block of Pacific Avenue between Laguna Street and Buchanan Street on Saturday night, resulted in damage to an on-street vehicle and several nearby windows, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

The explosion was reported around 8:20 p.m., as startled residents witnessed a manhole cover explode beneath a parked car, as ABC7 reported.

The force of the explosion caused significant damage to both the vehicle and the surrounding buildings’ windows. Authorities attributed the incident to an underground Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) vault that spontaneously erupted.

PG&E's website shows what an underground vault looks like. It usually provides access to underground public utility equipment.

Capt. Jonathan Baxter, spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department, provided further details on the incident. He said that as a precautionary measure, the vault had been de-energized, and PG&E is set to conduct a thorough inspection to ensure its safety before re-energizing the line.

In the aftermath, residents have been advised to shelter in place, with authorities urging the public to steer clear of the affected area. A reported 391 customers in the vicinity lost electricity, as power lines were compromised due to the underground equipment failure.

No injuries were reported.

These vault explosions have happened around San Francisco on occasion over the years, like this one near Union Square in May 2017, and one that happened in the Financial District the previous summer.

Image via Google Street View.

Darron Price, the man whose alleged hash oil operation is suspected of blowing up his home and killing his wife, has been ordered released to home detention. It’s unclear what home he has to go to, but a neighboring family is also very much without a home.

It’s been an eventful last 24 hours in the case of the February 9 Sunset house explosion on 22nd Avenue that blew up that household and severely damaged five neighboring homes, and also killed a 51-year-old disabled woman and severely injured her caretaker. (The incident also shut down BART the next day, as law enforcement transported toxic containers from the scene). The victim killed turned out to be the wife of suspect Darron Price, who was arrested two days later on suspicion of manslaughter, drug manufacturing, and child endangerment, and was allegedly cooking some form of narcotics in the household. And in the last 24 hours we learned that Price was allegedly cooking hash oil (not PCP, as was originally reported by SFPD), and that he had prior burglary charges from 1993, and he was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in San Francisco Superior Court.

And another surprising development came at that hearing today. KTVU reports that Price was granted bail, even though “Prosecutors sought to deny bail, saying he was a flight risk because Price has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia.”

The Chronicle adds that the judge “ordered the release of Darron Price,” though they additionally report that “the process to release Price would begin Friday but that it would likely take several days for him to actually leave custody.”

There are still a number of conditions to Price’s release. Per the Chron, “Price will have to submit to searches of his person, electronic devices, residence and vehicle at any time, without probable cause. His home detention will be monitored by the Sheriff’s Office and he will be required to surrender his passports.”

Price is barred contact from his former neighbors and the burned homes, unless accompanied by legal counsel. He’s also allowed to see his two teenage children, who were not home at the time of the blast, and is allowed to attend his wife’s funeral.

“Mr. Price would never knowingly do anything to harm his family,” deputy public defender Sierra Villaran said at a Friday hearing. “I don’t think that anybody understands the gravity of his case more than Mr. Price.”

Well, a few neighbors might argue with that; namely, those rendered homeless by the blast. The Chronicle separately reports on the plight of the neighboring Garth family that lost their home because of the blast, though they were fortunately not home at the time of the deadly fire. But they’ve lost plenty, including irreplaceable “antiquarian Jewish books and prints.” A GoFundMe for the Garth family is up online, as their house is inhabitable.

“We do want to stay in that neighborhood. We really put down roots, and it would be very sad to leave,” David Garth told the Chronicle. “But you know, especially in San Francisco, when you lose your housing, it’s often next to impossible to find something at the same price.”

Darron Price is scheduled to appear in court again next Friday.

Related: New Video From Next Door Shows Moment of Sunset Home Explosion [SFist]

Image: SFPD

An unexplained explosion Tuesday morning blew the front off of a building on the main drag in Stinson Beach, shook the town like an earthquake, and caused a fire that spread to neighboring businesses.

The explosion happened around 8:42 a.m. this morning on the 3400 block of Shoreline Highway, according to the Marin County Fire Department. Two buildings were destroyed in the blast, and two other buildings sustained damage, one of them major damage, as the Marin Independent Journal reports.

Photos and video from the scene on Twitter show significant wreckage. As the Chronicle reports, it's still unclear if anyone was injured or killed. The fire was reportedly under control as of 10:50 a.m.

Michelle Fox, who is staying two blocks away from the explosion, tells the Marin IJ, "It was brutal. I thought it was an earthquake and the roof over my house was caving in." And taking in the scene afterward, she said, "It looks like a warzone."

Highway 1 was closed while the area was cleaned up, and PG&E temporarily cut power to the area while the incident is being investigated.

Fire officials are telling people to avoid the area, and saying that the cleanup will last for most of the day.

This story will be updated as we learn more.

In an incident straight out of some suburban-fanfic version of The Fast and the Furious, two muscle cars exploded in a fiery blaze this past Saturday, resulting in a two-alarm fire that required 35 firefighters to extinguish. A Novato garage and both cars were consumed in the subsequent inferno.

According to a statement issued by the Novato Fire District, it all began when a man working on a 1972 Chevy Nova in his detached garage smelled a chemical odor. After turning off the car, he then attempted to restart the engine.

"When he started it again, the engine compartment exploded and caught fire," reads the statement in part. "He was able to escape out of the vehicle and run down the long steep driveway while directing concerned neighbors to call 911."

Fortunately for the vehicle owner, the concerned neighbor in question was off-duty Novato firefighter Tommy Gaulke.

The blast was apparently quite substantial, as Gaulke reportedly "felt his house shake" before running outside to help expedite the response by providing dispatchers with detailed information about the incident.

This was definitely a close call for both the homeowner and the surrounding community, but the fire crews were able to control the spreading blaze in just 25 minutes after it had burned only half of an acre of the surrounding hillside. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire and no other homes were damaged.

The two cars, a 1972 Chevy Nova and a 1966 Nova Station Wagon, were apparently valued at a combined $60,000.

Related: Video: 'Magnum, P.I.' Style Ferrari Blows Up At Bay Area Gas Station, Drives Itself To Safety

UC Berkeley is being evacuated after an underground fire. pic.twitter.com/XDeuSiI52K

— Joe Vazquez (@joenewsman) October 1, 2013

A power outage at UC Berkeley prefaced a major explosion on Monday night, resulting in a campus-wide evacuation. The fire, it seems, stemmed from a vault under California Hall close to the center of campus, with the initial blast reportedly shooting up in the air some 20-40 feet.

Eyewitness Peter Myers notes, "There was an explosion at about 6:40, followed instantly by fireball coming out of a manhole cover that came about 30-40 feet high. I guess that was the old generator they were talking about." While Cal sophomore Jennifer Han explains to The Daily Californian, "At first, I was really scared because I thought the explosion was big enough to produce a shock wave ... You heard it first, and then there were flames."

The Daily Californian has more:

According to [UCPD Lt. Marc DeCoulode], the explosion appears to be related to vandalism discovered by the campus late last week. Vandals were stealing or attempting to steal copper grounding wire from an electrical system not readily visible, and the damage appears to be more extensive than initially believed, he said.

After the explosion appeared to come from a manhole grate, campus police advised students to stay away from any manholes on campus. Officials are not allowing anyone to enter the campus and have instructed everyone to evacuate through the north and west entrances.

At least one student was whisked to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries. A handful of others had to be rescued from elevators that stopped during the outage.

Below, the jarring blaze shooting from the vault:

The campus remains closed as of tonight. No word yet as to whether or not classes will resume on Tuesday.

UPDATE: Updates regarding class schedule will happen early tomorrow morning (Oct. 1) at around 5 AM. We're also hearing word, via commenter Michael Ball, that the campus has reopened.

UPDATE II: Things are back to normal, more or less, with only 11 buildings sans power. Most classes have resumed.

[Chron]
[Daily Cal]
[SF Appeal]

Late Saturday afternoon what appeared to be a stick of dynamite (or a firecracker) was thrown at the window of a business on the 300 block of Grant Street near Union Square, causing some minor damage and snarling traffic along Sutter for a bit. Witnesses saw two suspects fleeing the scene, and one witness even snapped a photo of them, aiding police in making one arrest. One suspect is still at large.

According to SFPD spokesman Officer Albie Esparza, the explosive device was a small firework.

As ABC 7 reports, a window was shattered and a planter box was damaged, but that seems to be the extent of it. The targeted business has not been revealed.

No motive for the attack is yet known.

[KTVU]
[ABC7]

Military officials have confirmed that seven U.S. Marines were killed and many others were injured last night during a training exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.

NBC News reports, "a mortar exploded during a live-fire training exercise overnight... According to one account, a 60-millimeter mortar shell exploded in a tube as Marines were preparing to fire it. Another account said that the shell exploded as Marines were picking it up to load it."

Four of the Marines were apparently killed instantly while "two others died while waiting to be flown to the hospital," according to NBC News. The Hawthorne Army Depot website says it's "an archive site for storing slow-moving ammunition and stocks awaiting demilitarization." It's 140 miles southeast from Reno.

The incident is under investigation; Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force said, "We send our prayers and condolences to the families of Marines involved in this tragic incident. We remain focused on ensuring that they are supported through this difficult time. We mourn their loss, and it is with heavy hearts we remember their courage and sacrifice."

Like a little Christmas gift from PG&E, a manhole cover blew off at 3rd and Mission Streets last evening in a festive display caused by an underground vault fire.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening, as ABC 7 reports. Passersby were scared by the loud boom, and traffic was disrupted for an hour or two.

No injuries were reported, thankfully, but these things are dangerous, and vault fires like the one last night are what PG&E has been hoping to prevent after a recent revelation of fraudulent inspections by contractors and employees that put them at risk for equipment fires. The report on those inspections indicated that they were mostly in the South Bay, but this fire and manhole explosion may suggest otherwise.

[ABC 7]
[BCN/Chron]

All previous manhole cover blast coverage.

33-year-old Angelic Cisneros, the woman who blew out the windows of her fiancé's Ingleside apartment while cooking up drugs in the bathroom, has been arrested for five felonies, including one count of possession of marijuana for sale and two counts of child endangerment. Unfortunately, the police have yet to give the tabloid-loving public what they want and release which drug, exactly, they think Ms. Cisneros was trying to cook up in her bathroom.

We know the fire was caused by an exploding butane tank, which seemed to suggest the woman had a tiny Meth lab going over the bathtub. But given the marijuana possession charge, her operation may have been more Weeds than Breaking Bad: it seems like she could have been cooking up something as boring as homemade hash oil.

In that case, we imagine the fiancé is extra pissed that his apartment exploded while this woman attempted to cook up something you can actually buy in a store. Waterfall Wellness Health Center, we should point out, is actually one block away from the now burned-out residence and they sell Mr. Nice Honey Oil for a mere $35.

Anyhow, in addition to the pot charges and the child endangerment, Cisneros was busted for recklessly causing a fire that caused bodily harm and recklessly causing a fire in a residence. She also has a history: she's still facing two felony charges for giving marijuana to a minor and three more misdemeanor charges of child endangerment for a 2010 incident in Daly City. After her being booking yesterday, shewas released on her own recognizance until her court date in April.

The injured boy was still in the hospital being treated for burns as of yesterday evening.

Update: The Examiner, who also suspects she was cooking up hash, has more on the bathroom chef's scummy history. Not only is she already a medical marijuana patient and could certainly have taken advantage of the hash oil on offer mere blocks away at Waterfall Wellness, but she also once tried to organize a "Cannabis Farmers Market" at a bar near AT&T Park. She apparently convinced the bar owner to let her throw the event by telling him it was actually a birthday party. At the time she told the Examiner that she only wanted to bring patients and growers together, especially in anticipation of Prop 19, which never passed but would have legalized recreational pot.

Previously: Ingleside Home Explodes, Two People Injured, Drugs Are Blamed
[Chron]

A home near the intersection of Capitol and Ocean Avenues in the Ingleside neighborhood sort of blew up last night around 9 p.m. sending a woman and a 12-year-old to the hospital with burns. A third person, the woman's fiancé who lives in the home, was also present, but said he had gone out to his car to retrieve something when the explosion occurred. But it gets curiouser...

The explosion appears to have started in the bathroom, where the woman was (the kid was in the living room playing video games), and residue on the sink suggest that "the explosion may be drug related."

Anyway, take this is a cautionary tale, kids. And we hope that kid's alright.

Update: KTVU has updated their original reporting to indicate that the blast stemmed from a butane tank related to the alleged manufacture of drugs. So, this was an in-home meth lab, possibly in a bathroom? Or maybe the butane tank was just next to the bathroom. Anyway. Meth lab. In Ingleside. Terrific.

[KTVU]
[Examiner]

Today at around 1:50 pm, there was a manhole cover explosion on Folsom Street at Harriet Street. Alert SF notes: "Folsom Street is closed between 6th and 7th Streets. Harriet Street is closed between Howard and Harrison Streets. Please avoid the area."

Power in the area has also been affected, with outages hitting Sixth and Seventh Streets between Harrison and Howard.

Update: Power has since been restored. CBS 5 reports that firefighter, "fought the blaze by applying carbon dioxide, which essentially “smothers” the fire without damaging the underground electrical equipment."

Please post your finest "manhole-SoMa" jokes in the comments.