Fire investigators converged Tuesday to collect evidence at the site where a house exploded in December as the owners of the destroyed home near Hayward talked for the first time about the nightmare their tenants endured. “My neighbor called me and said your building blew up. I said ‘what?’ ’’ recalled Angela Plowman of Castro Valley, the owner of the East Lewelling Boulevard property where the blast occurred on the morning of Dec. 11. Plowman came to the scene of the devastation Tuesday as fire investigators with insurance companies and their attorneys spent hours excavating and sifting through the crater created by the blast. The pit is in what was the kitchen of the home that blew up more than two hours after PGE crews arrived to isolate and repair a gas leak apparently caused by a contract crew working on a road project. Alameda County Jan 15 NTSB releases preliminary report in explosion near Hayward investigation Hayward Dec 15, 2025 Community continues to recover after explosion near Hayward Hayward Dec 13, 2025 NTSB provides updates on investigation into explosion near Hayward Plowman said she rented out her home to two brothers, one of whom was in Mexico at the time of the explosion. The brother who was in the home at the time was just about to go to sleep, having come home from working a nightshift. He suffered extensive burns and was recently released from the hospital, according to Plowman’s daughter, Debbie Waltmire. His sister and niece were staying in the home because their home was being treated for mold. Plowman said she still can’t figure out why no one alerted residents like her tenants about a gas leak that could be dangerous. “As soon as they knew that the gas lines were compromised why didn’t they evacuate?” Plowman asked as she stood on the sidewalk in front of the wreckage of her property. Plowman said she is doing everything to help her tenant, the tenant’s sister and her 19 year-old daughter who were in the home at the time of the blast. All suffered serious injuries, with the sister having to have pins inserted into her neck and her daughter suffering facial burns and broken ribs. The property owners said they hope to learn what triggered the explosion soon. Meanwhile, they’re just making sure their tenant and his family get the all the help possible. “Material things are secondary, you know? I want to make sure my tenants are taken care of.” Waltmire added, “It’s really tough — you want to press the big ‘undo’ button in the sky and you can’t find it.” ...read more read less