A huge gas blast in San Francisco has sent towering flames shooting into the sky as five buildings caught fire and panicked residents fled into the streets.
Fire crews battled for three hours to bring the blaze under control as smoke billowed into the air above 40-foot flames in the shocking scenes on Wednesday.
Diners in a nearby restaurant ran for their lives after they heard a boom, with witnesses telling how they felt a rumble and the windows shake after the explosion.
Dramatic images from the scene showed firefighters tackling the enormous blaze. The blast was sparked by a natural gas line being struck in the area at about 1.20pm (local time).
Dozens of residents were displaced and thousands were left without power after explosion, according to local media. No one was injured or missing, officials said.
Workers had been digging to install fibre-optic cables when they struck the gas main, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Officials evacuated several nearby buildings, including a medical clinic and apartments, Hayes-White added.
Vehicles on a busy street were rerouted as authorities cordoned off the city's Inner Richmond neighbourhood.
"We just felt the shaking, and the next thing we knew, people were banging on the door to tell people it's time to start evacuating," said resident Nick Jalali, 28, who was cooking at home when the electricity cut out.
Five buildings were damaged, including a building housing Hong Kong Lounge II, a dim sum restaurant that is a fixture on the city's "best-of" lists.
The fire began on the street in front of the restaurant.
