A gas explosion caused a major fire on Thursday in the Ashland community near Hayward. It happened after a construction crew damaged an underground gas line, fire officials said. At least one home was destroyed, windows were blown out, and nearby houses shook. Six people were taken to hospital. Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said three had serious injuries and three had minor injuries. Three buildings on two lots were badly damaged. About 75 firefighters fought the blaze. Some had to step back briefly after feeling electric shocks from fallen power lines. Doorbell camera footage showed a large building in flames with debris everywhere. “We were sitting in the house and it just ... everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls and when we looked at the camera it was like you were watching a war video,” said resident Brittany Maldonado. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate. Pacific Gas & Electric Company was alerted at 7:35 a.m. that a non-utility construction crew had hit a gas line. Crews arrived to isolate the leak, but gas leaked from several spots. Workers stopped the gas flow at 9:25 a.m., and the explosion happened 10 minutes later. PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said it took time to stop the gas completely. Ashland is about 15 miles south of Oakland in the East Bay area. Hayward, nearby, has around 160,000 residents. Police arrived with sirens as flames grew from the collapsed building near a construction excavator. Multiple reporters contributed to this report.