Oakland: Kids hurt after SUV crashes into home and sparks gas main fire

OAKLAND — Three children were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the SUV they were riding in careened out of control and crashed into a home, damaging a gas main and sparking a fire, according to the Oakland Fire Department.

The crash was reported around 5:30 p.m. at a home on Sereno Circle, off Redwood Road in the city’s Crestmont neighborhood.

Fire department spokesman Michael Hunt said a driver appears to have lost control of their vehicle and was traveling at a high rate of speed from Campus Drive, and crossed several lanes of traffic before hitting the house, which was not occupied at the time. A neighbor’s video shows the SUV jumping a curb seconds before the crash.

But the point of impact, on the left side of the home’s garage, meant that the collision sheared a gas line and caused a slow, steady fire to break out.

Battalion Chief James Bowron said the vehicle came to rest on top of the gas line, so they were unable to shut it off. Hunt added that firefighters summoned PG&E technicians, who dug up the street to clamp the line and eliminated the gas flow at 7:48 p.m.

Two children in the gray Chevrolet SUV were taken to local hospitals by ambulance, and another child was taken to the hospital by a family member. Bowron said all of the children were being evaluated for minor injuries.

“Due to the fact that the vehicle came down Campus Drive across Redwood and struck the structure with force, we want to make sure that the kids are ok and they’re checked up on,” he said.

About 30 firefighters were dispatched to control the fire, which amounted to extinguishing the home and also allowing the gas to safely burn out. No firefighters were injured, and the adults in the SUV were medically cleared at the scene.

No evacuations were ordered in the wake of the fire, which was limited to the crash site. The precise cause of how the driver lost control of the SUV was not immediately clear Saturday evening.