NTSB investigators are on the scene in San Bruno, California, searching for clues into what caused Thursday evening's massive gas pipeline blast. The crater left by the explosion in a Bay Area suburb measures 50 feet by 40 feet. It's unclear how deep the crater is. An NTSB invesitgator said the force of the blast had thrown a large section of pipe out of the ground, an indication of the explosion's power. "It's an amazing scene of destruction," he said. 4 people were killed and officials said today that 2 people remain unaccounted for. 52 people were injured, including 3 who suffered third degree burns. At least 38 homes were totally destroyed and many others were damaged. Investigators will be examining the pipeline, which was installed in 1956, and how often it was inspected. The pipeline owner, Pacific Gas & Electric, said they were looking into reports that residents smelled gas in the days before Thursday's explosion, however early reports suggest that no calls to complain of the smell were received by the utility. A final report on the cause of the disaster will not be completed until late next year at the earliest. Among the possibilities investigators will probably focus on is possible corrosion of the pipe, which has been a factor in pipeline failures, including the 2000 explosion of a 30-inch New Mexico pipe that killed a dozen people.
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