I work at 153 Kearny in the San Francisco Financial district. At around 9:55AM, I heard a loud thud (not a sharp crack) and a pressure wave that rattled the windows. My first thought was naturally that a terrorist attack had occurred, and we decided to evacuate the office (as did the other tenants). Within 2 minutes, we were all out, and there were already first responders on the scene ushering us away from the scene. The awning on the Ralph Lauren store at the corner of Post and Kearny was in flames; I only took this one photo.

I did not see any wounded people, and most passersby left the scene in an orderly fashion. Many people a mere two blocks away were unaware that anything happened. Reports are contradictory, so after making sure all my staff were accounted for, I sent them all home — if it were a gas explosion or an electrical fire, it could be dangerous to return until we have an all-clear from the authorities.