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AP: U.S. Attorney's Office Examining San Bruno Explosion

   SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Federal prosecutors are seeking thousands of pages of documents from California regulators as they launch an investigation into a deadly gas pipeline explosion in a San Francisco suburb.

   The Associated Press learned through a public records act request that federal prosecutors are reviewing Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s maps, reports and emergency plans in an examination of the September blast that killed eight and destroyed dozens of homes in San Bruno.

   Melinda Haag, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, confirmed Wednesday that the San Francisco office was looking into the explosion but declined to offer any details.

   The federal inquiry comes in addition to other investigations. The National Transportation Safety Board is still pinpointing a cause, but investigators suspect the pipeline may have burst under high pressure.

   (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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