San Bruno, California, Explosion Before-and-After Views Via Google Earth Photos

(Sept. 13) -- On the ground, survivors of the horrific, fatal San Bruno, Calif., gas-pipeline explosion described the event alternatively as "an earthquake," a "meteor shower," a "plane crash" and "a huge rolling ball of fire," as AOL News reporter David Knowles wrote over the weekend. But from satellites in the sky, Google Earth got a much clearer picture of the devastation that occurred Thursday, and, as expected, it ain't pretty.

Surge Desk has acquired the following screen shots of the before-and-after views of the neighborhood. The location of the center of the explosion is indicated by the red flame icon.

Before

After

Today, Google released those images via a free, downloadable KML file for Google Earth. To get the file to work on your own computer, first download Google Earth, install it, then download the KML file and open it with Google Earth. It should automatically take you to the location of the San Bruno fire, right at the corner of Earl Avenue and Glenview Street. If it does not, simply look in the left-hand column of the program. You should find a folder labeled "San Bruno." Double-click this and the program should take you to the site. You can then toggle the before and after views using the button the to the left.

Sponsored Links

But pretty soon, you won't even have to take the extra step of manually downloading and installing the file, as Google has promised to make it a part of the "base layer" of the application "soon." As the Google Earth and Maps blog noted today: "We are committed to providing the most accurate and up-to-date data in our maps at all times and especially in post-disaster situations." And indeed, it has done an impressive job this year: Just take a look at the harrowing photos of the Haiti-quake devastation circa January.

The Google Earth view should also help to nail down the exact details of the San Bruno explosion and subsequent fire, which remain forthcoming. Conflicting reports list between 15 and 53 homes destroyed and four people have been confirmed dead, although the body count may be up to seven now. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the company that owned the gas pipeline that ruptured, announced today it is establishing a $100 million disaster-relief fund for the victims.