Gas leak outside Los Angeles shuts down major highway, nearby residents shelter in place for hours
A reported leak from a rupture in a gas line in northern Los Angeles County led authorities to urge nearby residents to stay inside and to temporarily shut down a major Southern California highway for several hours on Saturday, snarling traffic for miles.
The 34-inch gas main line is located just east of the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 in Castaic, a major thoroughfare linking Southern and Northern California.
Capt. Brian Kight, a spokesman for the L.A. County Fire Department (LACFD), said the call for the leak came in around 4:20 p.m. local time. Kight said there were no reports of any explosions from the leak and no reported injuries.
A shelter-in-place order, impacting 14,900 people, was lifted earlier Sunday, according to the LACFD.
Authorities said that there is no danger to the public.
"Some residents may smell an odor of natural gas in the air -- please note this is not harmful and poses no immediate danger to residents," the LACFD said in its statement Sunday.
Hazmat crews were on the scene.
The cause of the leak remains under investigation. A spokesperson for the SoCalGas utility said later Sunday that crews identified the damaged section of pipeline Saturday night and stopped the leak, but that no cause had yet been identified. There were no signs of an ignition or explosion, but "significant land movement" had been observed near the site of the break, the spokesperson said.
Crews are continuing to assess the damage to the pipeline and develop a repair plan, SoCalGas said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said the governor had been briefed on the "commercial gas pipeline rupture" and the California Office of Emergency Services was helping coordinate the response.
Aerial footage from ABC Los Angeles station KABC earlier showed clouds of what appeared to be natural gas drifting through the air near the reported leak.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said there was no immediate threat in the city because of the gas leak, even as some residents, miles away from the leak, reported smelling gas.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's issued the shelter-in-place saying residents should stay inside, close doors, windows and vents, and shut off HVAC systems.
In the wake of the leak, the California Highway Patrol closed down both directions of I-5, leading to backups for miles. Drivers reported being stuck in their cars for hours and footage from KABC showed a river of brake lights on the highway, as post-holiday travelers found themselves at a standstill.
All lanes on the highway reopened a few hours later, KABC reported.
