Big rig knocks out power, gas line

An out-of-control big-rig knocked out power for 11,000 residents and businesses in San Francisco and caused a gas leak Tuesday morning when it crashed in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, fire and PG&E officials said.

The crash was reported at 9:30 a.m. near the corner of 20th and De Haro streets, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

The truck also brought down a high-voltage power transmission line, leaving the pole dangling from the power lines and live wires in the street, Talmadge said.

After hitting the power pole, the truck crashed into a house, shearing the home’s gas meter, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said. The gas leak prompted a brief shelter-in-place order, which was lifted after PG&E crews shut off the gas a few minutes after arriving there.

The downed power lines knocked out power for 11,000 San Francisco residents and businesses in the Mission District, Potrero Hill, Bernal Heights and Noe Valley neighborhoods of The City, Molica said.

As of about 10:45 a.m., around 5,285 PG&E customers were still without power.

The crashed truck also started leaking diesel fuel into a city sewer line, further complicating the cleanup, Talmadge said.