| Belwood of Los Gatos

Meeting at the cabana club March 26 2012 regarding explosion

by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 24, 2012 | Belgatos, Belwood, Cabaña, Events, Surmont

Many thanks to Edwin Swartz for letting us know that there will be a meeting March 26th at 7:30 in the evening with representatives of PGE and town staff regarding the explosion at the corner of Westhill, and Belblossom Drive. The meeting will be at the cabaña club, and the neighborhood is invited to come with their questions.

Sound of explosion at Belblossom and Westhill, gardener injured, in east Los Gatos

by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 6, 2012 | Belgatos, Belwood, Events, Surmont

Update:

It appears that turpentine was on the ground and there was some speculation that a spark from the electric tools seems to have caused this terrible explosion and injury. That assertion was retracted at a community meeting about the Los Gatos explosion March 26th 2012. Please click the link to read the full update.

Yesterday at around 2pm, a large, explosive sound rocked the Belwood, Belgatos and Surmont areas of east Los Gatos. The thundering noise sounded to me like a transformer blowing out – but worse (I was walking down Bacigalupi with my dog at the time). Neighbors wondered what caused it: gas explosion, rifle, transformer, or what? Several of us apparently called police.

When I phoned in, I was told that the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Dept was investigating. They thought that a tree trimmer had hit a power line but weren’t sure at that time.

About an hour later, I came through the area after seeing a post on the Facebook group page for Belwood area residents that the noise originated from something happening in the “class d area” (meaning Surmont/Belgatos). Whatever it was came from a front yard of a house at the corner of Belblossom and Westhill. P, G & E crews were investigating. A police officer was taking a report. And neighbors gathered to share what they knew, thought or experienced with the big boom of two o’clock.

A Belblossom home owner there told me that a gardener was doing something when the explosive sound occurred, that it put him in shock and that his ankle was broken. I was very relieved that he was still alive, as was everyone else there.

At that time, it remained unclear what happened exactly. P, G & E crews were still on scene, investigating.

Today I’m not seeing anything in the news about this, so wanted to share what I had heard (and seen) so far. Wishing a very speedy and easy recovery to the person who was injured. I hope that the P,G & E crews can figure out what happened so that it never happens again.