Massive fire in California kills at least one

A massive fire tore into a community in San Bruno of California Thursday, damaging dozens of homes, killing at least one person and injuring seven others, according to officials.

The fire was apparently caused by a gas leak. Eyewitnesses described the flames reaching as high as 300 meters into the sky and then it tore into houses on the adjoining territory. Some reports say that the fire was caused by the broken lines at the Pacific Gas & Electric which supplies gas to the community. Meanwhile, company’s representative said that the cause of the blast had not been determined. "If it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the accident, we will take accountability," Pacific Gas & Electric said in a statement.

Emergency officials are investigating the accident. Among other versions of the fire was a plane crash (as the fire-affected community is near the San Francisco International Airport). However, this version wasn’t officially confirmed.

Currently, hundreds of firefighters are at the scene; the fire reaches as high as 18 meters in the sky; local residents are being evacuated.

Victims suffering from burns began arriving at hospitals. Doctors say some of the injured people are in serious and critical condition. They also said that the total number of patients suffering from the blast is much higher than it was reported by officials. Among wounded people are those who suffered from serious burns and fumes.