On Saturday night, May 28th, at about 11 p.m., three consecutive explosions rocked much of central San Francisco. The first one jolted this reporter out of bed, midway through a good book which landed on the floor. It was followed, within moments, by a second and then third very loud boom, the last accompanied by a flare that briefly lit up the night sky.
These were not gunshots. Unfortunately, most San Franciscans can identify the sound of a gunshot — which is fast becoming true across the country, but that’s another story.
Nor were these fireworks, unless three sizable caches were ignited in succession. Transformers? PG&E isn’t saying.
Had some sort of Memorial Day celebration gone awry? Perhaps, I’m not sure.
Most of us waited for follow-up sounds: sirens, police cars, shouts in the night. Nothing. Utter silence followed, which seemed a little spooky.
A similar explosion was heard at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31st. It was not quite as loud and was heard not quite as widely. But the Saturday night booms were heard (and in most cases felt) in Japantown, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Hayes Valley, and the Inner Sunset — to name a few areas where anecdotal checks were made.
Calls to local news sites, even 3–1–1 brought no responses. Shocking.
Those who heard the hubbub are more curious than fearful, although fear is right around the corner these days. One senior facility resident reported that she jumped out of bed and immediately went to lock her door. To which the building concierge replied that if it were little green men from Mars they’d never get anywhere without proof of vaccination.
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